


Right Seems Wrong, Wrong Seems Right

by mb_stortroen1832



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: 18-Year Old Grantaire, 24-Year Old Enjolras, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Enjolras/Grantaire-centric, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Night Stands, Romance, Secret Relationship, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-17 06:18:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14182725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mb_stortroen1832/pseuds/mb_stortroen1832
Summary: Enjolras is the new history teacher at the high school in South Kitts, Maine; Grantaire is a senior at the same school.On the first day of the new school year, Grantaire walks into the classroom, only to come face to face with the one night stand from a month ago.They agree to keep it teacher and student, but that's easier said than done, right?





	Right Seems Wrong, Wrong Seems Right

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This story contains a romantic and sexual relationship between a 24-year old high school teacher and an 18-year old student. If that is not your cup of tea, turn back now! 
> 
> Other relationships that featured in this story: Combeferre/Courfeyrac, Joly/Bossuet/Musichetta, Bahorel/Jehan, Cosette/Marius/Éponine.
> 
> Some of this is inspired by the Aria/Ezra relationship in the first season of "Pretty Little Liars" (I loved their relationship the first two seasons of that show, sue me). Also, the school system is based on the one I had from when I was in high school. The classes and when they were taught is also based on my own schedule from high school.
> 
> All grammar and spelling mistakes are my own for this is only looked at by me. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own "Les Misérables", or these two idiots known as Enjolras and Grantaire. It belongs to its respective owners. I also do not own "The Great Gatsby", F. Scott Fitzgerald does.

_Prologue_

_August 2016_

Enjolras had just gotten his first teaching job at the high school in South Kitts, Maine. He had just graduated from college last spring, and he knew that he was young, but Principal Valjean was willing to give him a try. As he walked toward his apartment, his stomach growled, and he realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Instead of his apartment, he found himself walking in the direction of the South Kitts Bar & Grill. Enjolras walked into the restaurant and found a table to sit at. He took out his copy of _The Great Gatsby_ from his bag and started reading.

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Enjolras heard someone quote. He looked up and saw a young man, standing next to him, with a name tag that said "R" on it. The man had a flirtatious smile on his face.

"Are you trying to impress me by quoting _The Great Gatsby_?" Enjolras asked, returning the smile.

The young man, raised an eyebrow, before saying. "Possibly. Is it working?"

Enjolras smiled affectionately at him. "Possibly."

"Well played." R said. "What can I get you?"

"Um…" Enjolras looked at the menu quickly. "The chicken Caesar salad and pomegranate lemonade."

R took the order and walked to the kitchen to put it in. Enjolras turned back to his reading. About 15 minutes later, R came out with his salad.

"Thank you." Enjolras said, not looking up from his book.

Enjolras quickly finished his food and paid his bill, so that that he could get back to reading. He had read the book so many times that the pages were torn and dog eared. Some of the pages had water damage. The cover was barely hanging on. Enjolras knew that it was probably time for a new copy, but he couldn't bring himself to part with this copy. His English teacher from high school had given it to him as his graduation present, signed with a special message and everything. Enjolras didn't know what it was about _The Great Gatsby_ that made it one of his all-time favorite books, all he knew was that he loved it and couldn't explain why.

Enjolras was so caught up in his reading that he didn't realize how much time had passed until he heard the sound of water running. He looked over to one of the nearby tables and saw R begin wiping down the tables. Not many people were in the restaurant anymore.

"Welcome back to the land of living." R teased.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Jay Gatsby has that effect on people." R said as he walked toward Enjolras' table.

Enjolras marked his place before closing the book. He looked up at R. "So, you've read it?"

"I literally quoted it at you when I walked up to your table. Of course, I've read it. What person in this world hasn't read that book? It was one of my personal favorites in high school while everyone else in my class couldn't stand it." R told him.

"Really? What made you love it, so much?" Enjolras asked, curiously.

R shrugged. "I don’t really know. I can't really explain it. I think it mostly has to do with Nick Carraway's narration, but that's just a guess. It's just a book that I really enjoyed. My name's Grantaire."

Enjolras laughed. "Nice pun."

Grantaire smiled. "Thank you."

"Enjolras." Enjolras told him.

They stared at each other for a few minutes before there was a voice telling Grantaire to get back to work. He can flirt when his shift is over.

"What time is your shift over?" Enjolras asked.

"In a few minutes, why?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras smiled, flirtatiously. He was never that good at flirting, but tonight, he was feeling bold. It didn't hurt that Grantaire was incredibly attractive, either. "How about we go somewhere after?"

Grantaire blinked at him before nodding. "Okay."

He turned back to finish cleaning the tables. Enjolras watched him work. Grantaire was absolutely gorgeous. His eyes were a beautiful jade green. His dark hair was full of unruly curls that looked soft to the touch. His skin was had a beautiful tan. Grantaire was exactly Enjolras' type, and there was something about him that drew Enjolras to him. He felt like he needed to know him.

Grantaire finished up his work and went to go clock out while Enjolras waited for him by the door. They walked out of the bar together, and just kept walking, no particular destination in mind. As they walked they talked about _The Great Gatsby._ They talk about the meaning of and their interpretations of the book. Slowly, the conversation switched from talking about the book to what Enjolras did.

"I just got my first teaching job." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire doesn't ask where, instead he asked. "What subject?"

"Social studies." Enjolras said. Grantaire let out a laugh. "What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing. I just…why social studies?" Grantaire asked.

"Why not social studies?" Enjolras asked. "It has a variety of subjects that I feel that people need to learn about."

"I'll take your word for it."

They find themselves standing underneath a street lamp. Both of them just staring at each other, admiring what features the light illuminates on the other. Enjolras found himself leaning into Grantaire's personal space.

"You're an intriguing man, Grantaire. I'd like to get you know you better." Enjolras admitted to Grantaire.

Grantaire smiled. "I'd like to get to know you, too."

Enjolras smiled back at him before he leaned in even more to press his lips to Grantaire's. Grantaire responded by wrapping his arms around Enjolras' waist as Enjolras cupped Grantaire's face with his hands. Their tongues danced with each other as they tried to pull the other closer. Grantaire soon found his back pressed against a brick wall as Enjolras kissed down his neck. He pressed himself into Enjolras' body. Enjolras pulled away once he felt Grantaire's arousal against his thigh.

"My apartment isn't far from here. You want to…" Enjolras said.

"Yes." Grantaire said. He pressed his lips against Enjolras' again in a hard kiss. They made out against the wall a little bit more before Enjolras hailed a taxi for them.

Once Enjolras had given the driver his address, their lips found each other's again. They were too wrapped up in each other to realize they had arrived at Enjolras' apartment building. The driver had to knock on the glass to get their attention. Enjolras pulled away from Grantaire in order to pay the man. They got out of the cab to make their way towards the front door of the apartment building.

They made their way up to Enjolras' apartment after stopping to make out against the wall multiple times. Grantaire kissed Enjolras' neck as he unlocked the door. When the door was open, Enjolras pushed Grantaire inside, and up against the door. They both threw their bags somewhere in the room as Enjolras lifted Grantaire's shirt and pulled it off of him. Enjolras ran his hands over Grantaire's chest and over his nipples causing Grantaire to moan. Enjolras pressed his lips to Grantaire's until he moved to kiss down Grantaire's neck before he sucked a bruise onto Grantaire's neck. Grantaire's fingers found the hem of Enjolras' shirt and pulled it up. Enjolras pulled away from him long enough to get the shirt off before their lips were attached again.

"Bedroom." Grantaire breathed out.

Enjolras nodded before he grabbed Grantaire's hand and led him toward his bedroom. He pushed Grantaire onto the bed before crawling over him. Enjolras ran his mouth over Grantaire's chest. Grantaire shivered as Enjolras' lips kissed his chest. He took his left nipple into his mouth as his hand played with the other.

"Oh, fuck." Grantaire groaned.

Enjolras moved his mouth to the other nipple. Grantaire's hands ran down the sides of Enjolras' body towards his jeans. He unbuttoned the jeans and pushed them down as far as he could. Enjolras moved away from him to throw his jeans off somewhere in the room. He then unbuttoned Grantaire's jeans and pulled them off. Enjolras saw the tent in Grantaire's boxers and couldn’t help himself. He then moved back up to Grantaire's lips as his hand slipped inside Grantaire's boxers and wrapped around his cock.

"You're so beautiful." Enjolras said.

Grantaire smiled, lifting his hand up to remove a curl from Enjolras' face. "Would you just get on with it already?"

Enjolras kissed Grantaire quickly before leaning over the side of the bed to grab the bottle of lube and box of condoms from his bedside table. His fingers wrapped around the waistband of Grantaire's boxers and pulled down. His cock was rock hard as it curved against his stomach.

"Fuck." Enjolras said as he kneeled in between Grantaire. He reached for the bottle of lube, opened it, and poured some over his fingers. He pushed a finger into Grantaire. Grantaire sigher as the finger began to stretch him. Enjolras soon entered a second and third finger into Grantaire.

Grantaire moaned loudly as Enjolras' fingers reached his prostate. Enjolras fingered Grantaire until he was sure that he was stretched enough. He pulled out his fingers causing Grantaire to whimper. He pulled off his own boxers. He opened the condom and slicked up his cock. Enjolras lined up his cock with Grantaire's entrance. Grantaire moaned as he felt his muscle stretch as Enjolras pushed into him, inch by inch.

"Fuck!" Grantaire said as he wrapped his legs around Enjolras' waist.

Once, Enjolras was fully sheathed in Grantaire's tight muscle, he paused before he started moving to allow Grantaire time to adjust.

"You good?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire nodded. "Yes. Now, move."

Enjolras pulled out before thrusting back in deeply. Grantaire let out a moan. Enjolras smiled as he leaned forward to kiss Grantaire again. He soon found a pace that worked for both of them.

"You're so tight. You feel amazing wrapped around my cock." Enjolras said as he moved. Grantaire's moans and screams were the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard and it spurred Enjolras on as he continued to fuck him.

"Shit! Come on, fuck me!" Grantaire said.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Enjolras smiled, cheekily.

Grantaire rolled his eyes. "God, you're an idiot. Just stop talking and fuck me."

Enjolras did as he commanded, but he sped up his pace. Moving faster and harder. Grantaire's fingernails dug in Enjolras' back as the man above him changed his pace. All that either of them could hear in the room was the slapping of their skin and the sounds that came from both of them.

He soon found Grantaire's prostate and slammed into it every couple of thrusts. Electricity running up Grantaire's spine as Enjolras hit his prostate.

"God, I can feel it. I'm going to cum." Grantaire said.

Enjolras wrapped his hand around Grantaire's cock to help him reach his release a little bit faster. He clutched the sheets as Enjolras changed his pace even more as he felt his release come. Grantaire moaned loudly as his cum started spewing all over his chest and Enjolras'.

"Fuck." Grantaire said as he fell into the sheets.

Enjolras moved slowly to reach his own release. Soon he was emptying into the condom and Grantaire could feel his cock pulsing inside of him. Enjolras pressed a kiss to Grantaire's neck before pulling out of him. He pulled off the condom and threw it away. After throwing the condom away, Enjolras went into the bathroom to grab a washcloth to wash them both of cum.

When they were clean, Enjolras laid next to Grantaire as they shared lazy kisses and touches in the afterglow of sex. They ended up making out and talking on Enjolras' bed before falling asleep, cuddled together.

***

The next morning, Grantaire woke up. He could feel the weight of something pinning him to the bed. He turned and saw a head of blonde curls. He remembered meeting Enjolras at the restaurant. Leaving with him. Talking with him. They somehow ended up kissing, and then, made their way to Enjolras' apartment to have sex.

Grantaire not wanting to deal with the morning after awkwardness, slowly slipped out from underneath Enjolras' arms. He quickly wrote a note saying that he had a really nice time and wanted to see Enjolras again with his number written at the bottom, and left it on the bedside table. He gathered his clothes and got dressed. Grantaire quietly left the apartment, not realizing that in his haste to leave the apartment, his note had fallen behind the bedside table.

***

Enjolras woke up a little while after Grantaire snuck out. He felt the sun on his face and smiled. He reached out on the bed next to him, only to feel that the sheets were cold. Enjolras opened his eyes and saw that he was alone in his bed. He got out of the bed, put on his robe, and walked out of his bedroom to see if maybe Grantaire was in the kitchen.

When he wasn't in the kitchen, or anywhere else in the apartment, Enjolras made his way back into his bedroom. Grantaire had left no note, so he had no way of contacting him.

 _Of course, just my luck. I find someone that I really want to get to know better, and all he wanted from me was a one night stand. Typical._ Enjolras thought as disappointment pooled in his stomach.

Enjolras just shook his head and got up from the bed to shower. He decided that he was just going to forget about Grantaire and the amazing night they had.

***

_One month later_

Grantaire pulled up in the South Kitts High School parking lot, dreading the beginning of the school year. He was finally a senior, but he just wanted the diploma already and be done with it. He found himself walking towards the tree where he normally hung out with his friends.

When he arrived, all of his friends were sitting underneath it. Joly and Bossuet were sitting with Musichetta in between them. Jehan was sitting in between Bahorel's legs, reading a book. Bahorel was deep in conversation with Éponine, who was sitting with Cosette's head in her lap and Marius' arm resting on her shoulder. Grantaire was the odd one out for he was only one that didn't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

Joly and Bossuet had been his best friends since grade school. They had begun dating when they were freshmen in high school. Musichetta had been a new student last year and both, Joly and Bossuet, had fallen in love with her and her with them. The three of them had been together ever since. Jehan and Bahorel had been dating since they were in middle school. Cosette, Marius, and Éponine was the newest relationship of the group. Marius and Éponine had been friends all their lives, but Marius had been completely blind to the fact that Éponine had a crush on him. Once they were in high school, Marius had run into Cosette, the Principal's daughter, and it had basically been love at first sight. Éponine had been heartbroken until she found herself developing feelings for Cosette, too. Cosette having seen both of them around the school had fallen in love with both of them. It was suffice to say that it was an interesting start to a relationship, but it seemed to work, so Grantaire was happy for them.

But because Grantaire didn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, he usually found himself sitting off to the side of the group, which he was okay with. Grantaire wasn't the type of person who needed to be in a relationship to be happy, but that didn't mean that he didn't find himself feeling lonely at times.

Grantaire had never had a relationship that had lasted longer two months before, and normally, it was Grantaire doing the dumping. He could always tell about two months into the relationship that it wasn't going to work out. He had never fallen in love with any of his exes before. To Grantaire, being in love meant having a connection with someone that meant more than just kissing and sex.

A connection like the one he had felt with Enjolras that night.

That night had led to sex, but there was just something about the way they had clicked in conversation that made Grantaire feel like he had known Enjolras all his life. He wouldn't go as far to say that he had fallen in love with Enjolras in the short amount of time that had been together, but he was saying that he could have fallen in love with him had Enjolras just called him. But Enjolras hadn't called him and Grantaire had vowed to himself to put Enjolras out of his mind. He had been a one night stand, and Grantaire had to accept the fact that he was never going to see him again.

"Hello, earth to Grantaire." Joly called.

"What – oh sorry." Grantaire said. "I was just thinking."

Bahorel snorted. "You were gone there for a while, man. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Grantaire told his friends. "How was everyone's summers?"

"Great. Spent most of my time in boxing ring, and when I wasn't in the ring, I was with my little flower." Bahorel said. He kissed the top of Jehan's head, who was blushing bright red.

"You know, same old, same old. Taking care of my siblings. I also spent a lot of time with these two." Éponine said. She gestured to Cosette and Marius, who were lost in their own little world to pay attention.

Grantaire rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. He turned his head to Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta. "What about you guys?"

"Oh, we went to Spain with Musichetta's family to visit her grandparents." Joly said.

Bossuet nodded. "It was an amazing trip and everything worked out in my favor…for once." Bossuet was known for having the worst luck known to man.

Grantaire looked around at all his friends before looking down at his phone for the time. He noticed that it was _8:23._ School started at 8:30.

"Hey, guys. We should probably get inside." Grantaire told them

As they stood up, Jehan asked him. "Wait, you didn't tell us what you did?"

Grantaire shrugged. "Oh, you know. Worked on my art, work, boxing, dancing. More art. More work. Didn't really do much." He opted to not tell them about his one night stand with Enjolras. Not because they would make fun of him, but because he wanted to keep that night to himself.

His friends all nodded. They all walked into the school and went in the direction of their lockers, and then their classes.

 _I cannot wait until May._ Grantaire thought as he walked to one of the English classrooms.

***

Enjolras walked into his classroom. He set his coffee and laptop bag on the desk. He took off his jacket to hang it over the back of the chair. He looked around his classroom. It was big and had around 40 desks. It also had posters of American history and on the bookshelves were the textbooks and other books.

He took his computer out of his bag and started it up. Enjolras had finished the class syllabuses last night, but he had to go over them now for spelling/grammar errors. His attention was pulled from his screen when he heard a knock on his door. It was his best friend, Combeferre, who was one of the science teachers.

"How you settling in, Enj?" Combeferre asked, stepping into the classroom.

"I'm settling in just fine. I'm a little nervous, though." Enjolras told him.

Combeferre chuckled. "You'll do just fine. Just take a few deep breaths."

Enjolras nodded before doing what his best friend had said. He turned back to the screen of his laptop. "Do you want to look over this before I have show it to any of my classes?”

"Sure." Combeferre turned the screen to face him and started reading it.

As his friend looked over the syllabus, Enjolras looked through his laptop bag. He found his box of pencils and pens that he put in one of the drawers. He continued to search through his bag when his copy of _The Great Gatsby_ that caught his eye.

He hadn't touched the book since _that_ night. The book had a whole new meaning to him now. It was now a reminder of Grantaire, and everything about that night hurt to think about. He still couldn't understand why Grantaire left without leaving a note. Had he not felt the connection between them too?

"It looks good." Combeferre said, but Enjolras was still staring at the book, so he didn't hear him. "Earth to Enjolras?" His best friend snapped his fingers in front of Enjolras' face.

"What?" Enjolras jumped.

"I said the syllabus looks fine." Combeferre told him. Enjolras nodded before turning the computer back to face him. "Enj, what’s going on with you? You've been acting strange for a month."

"Nothing. I'm fine. I just…" Enjolras trailed off.

Combeferre raised an eyebrow. "You just…what?"

Enjolras looked at his best friend. "Nothing."

"If you don't want to talk about it, I'm not going to force you too, but just know that if you ever want to talk about it. I'm here." Combeferre placed a hand on Enjolras' shoulder.

"Thanks, 'Ferre."

Combeferre left his classroom. Enjolras watched him leave, but once he was gone, he put the book back in his bag and turned to his computer. He was finishing up the last few details when the first students of the sophomore U.S. History class stumbled in. Enjolras connected his computer to the Smart Board screen as he waited for more of his students to come in.

Enjolras stood up to teach, he put Grantaire, _The Great Gatsby,_ and the memory of the night to the back of his mind.

***

The day went on, and Grantaire was getting tired of hearing the same "Welcome back to school. These are the rules" speech every time he stepped into a new classroom. He'd heard it five times today, and was going to hear one more time. The last class he had for the day was his world history class.

He was anxious to get to his world history class because he had heard through the rumor mill that the history teacher was H-O-T, and he couldn't wait to see if that was true or not. Grantaire had no idea that he was in for a big surprise.

Grantaire walked into the classroom. He saw a man with blonde curly hair, facing the white board. A marker in his hand as he wrote on the board. Grantaire took a seat in the last row of the desks, closest to the window. As more students started filing in, Grantaire looked around the room until his attention was taken away by hearing a voice say.

"Good afternoon, class."

Wait - he knew that voice. Grantaire looked up and saw Enjolras standing at the front of the room. His name written on the white board behind him. He looked around to try and find a way to hide from him. Despite the room being big, he was out of luck on finding a place to hide. Instead, he just started to slide down in his seat.

Enjolras turned on the overhead projector, but when he turned his head to the students. The first one he laid eyes on was Grantaire.

"Holy crap." Enjolras stuttered out.

Grantaire internally groaned. Every person in the classroom followed Enjolras' eyes, including Éponine, Bahorel, Jehan, Cosette, and Joly. Grantaire avoided looking at any of them and Enjolras. He turned his head toward his sketchbook instead.

Enjolras pulled himself together and turned the attention back to him. He grabbed the clicker to start going through the PowerPoint with the syllabus on it.

"Hello, class. I'm Mr. Julien Enjolras, but you guys can simply call me Julien, Enjolras, or E, since I know the name is a little hard to pronounce. I'm the new history teacher." He explained, careful to avoid eye contact with Grantaire, as he paced the front of the room. "Yes, I'm only 24, but I have all the requirements to teach." He said, as if he knew the question was going to come.

He finished introducing himself before having the class go around one by one to introduce themselves. Grantaire was the last one, but avoided looking at anyone. Enjolras nodded, and then started going through the PowerPoint.

Once that was done, Enjolras set the clicker on the desk. "Any questions?" He looked around the room at the students, but none of them raised their hand. He nodded. "Okay, so how about we play a little getting to know each other game. You guys ever heard of two truths and a lie?" He asked the class. All of the students nodded. "Good, I don't have to go through the rules then. I'll go first." He smiled that smile that had made Grantaire's heart melt. "I was born in Paris. My favorite color is red. I have two siblings."

As the class discussed what the lie was, Grantaire went back to sketching. He already knew what the lie was. Enjolras was an only child. He remembered Enjolras telling him that as they cuddled after they had sex, but he didn’t say anything since he had an unfair advantage for he had slept with the teacher.

After a few minutes of discussion, Cosette raised her hand and said. "I'm guessing that the lie is that you were born in Paris."

Enjolras smiled before shaking his head. "No, that was not the lie. I was born in Paris and moved to the U.S. when I was four years old. Guess again, or do you just want me to tell you?" The class decided that they wanted him to just tell them. "I am actually an only child."

The class nodded and Enjolras picked Cosette to go next. Enjolras and Grantaire spent the rest of the class time doing their best not to look at each other. The rest of the class had seemed to forget about the awkward dilemma between them as the game of two truths and a lie continued.

When Enjolras dismissed the class after the bell rang, Grantaire was the first out of his seat and out the door. Enjolras watched him leave, even as some students came up to talk to him. Once all the students were gone, he sighed before rubbing his face with his hands. Of course, the only person that he's ever wanted a true relationship just happened to be his student.

Just his fucking luck.

***

When the last bell of the school day rang, Grantaire found his feet carrying him in the direction of Enjolras' classroom. The door was open, and Enjolras was still in there.

Enjolras was sitting at his desk, typing away at the keyboard, furiously. Grantaire lifted his arm and knocked. Whatever Enjolras had been typing, he must have been really into it because he ended up jumping at the sound. He looked over at the door, sighed, before signaling Grantaire to come in and shut the door. Grantaire did what he asked, but when he stepped in, he stayed near the door.

"Hi." Grantaire said, quietly.

"Hello." Enjolras said. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought that we should talk." Grantaire said.

Enjolras sighed. "Talk about what?"

"You know about what," Grantaire said. "I'm sorry that I left that morning. I just figured that leaving would be the best option, plus I thought with the note that I left you, you would contact me-"

"Wait, what? There was a note?"

Grantaire nodded. "Yes, I left a note."

"Well, I never got it." Enjolras told him. "Where did you leave it?"

"On the bedside table."

"I looked all over both of them for a note. I couldn't find one."

"I know that I left one." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras looked at him and saw the sincere look in his eyes. "I believe you, but maybe it's a good thing that it was lost."

"What?" Grantaire said.

"Look, Grantaire, I think that you are amazing and incredibly smart, while being just a tad cynical, and that night all I could think was "Wow, I needed to know this boy", but now…" Enjolras trailed off. Setting his hand on the desk.

Grantaire walked toward him and placed his hand over Enjolras'. "I'm still that boy. Nothing has changed."

Enjolras looked down at their hands. Grantaire's touch sent an electric shock through his body. He wanted to relish in the feeling, but he couldn't, so he reluctantly pulled his hand away from Grantaire's. "Yes, it has. Everything has changed, Grantaire."

"I know you felt it that night. How being together felt right." Grantaire said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course, I felt it. I've never felt anything like that before in my entire life, but that doesn't make it right, Grantaire. I am your teacher, you are my student, and despite one night of talking and incredible sex. We have to accept that that is all we'll ever be. I'm sorry, Grantaire." Enjolras told him. Forcing the words from his mouth because all he wanted was to take Grantaire in his arms and kiss him senseless.

"I am, too." Grantaire said before turning around and walking out of the room. Enjolras felt his heart twist once Grantaire was gone.

Grantaire could feel tears threatening to fall as he walked away from Enjolras' classroom. His heart breaking with every step that he took.

He needed to get drunk. Now.

***

Later that night, Grantaire was sitting at the bar of the South Kitts Bar & Grill. Thankfully, he didn't have to work that night, so he was able to sit at the bar and have Stan, the bartender and the man that Grantaire considered a father figure, pour him drinks. Stan could tell that something was wrong, but didn't bother asking, and instead, against his better judgement, kept pouring the 18-year old drinks.

"So, R, what happened? I know you only sulk like this when you've been hurt."

"Don't want to talk about it." Grantaire said, knocking back another drink. "Just please keep the drinks coming."

Stan did as Grantaire asked as the night wore on, but when the bar and grill was closing down for the night, he put away the bottle. He had switched Grantaire's drinks for water around nine o'clock. The 18-year old was way too hammered to even realize he wasn't drinking alcohol anymore. Grantaire had his head down on the table when Stan walked up to him.

"Come on, let's you get you home." Stan said.

"No, I can't go home. My mom will kill me." Grantaire told him.

Stan sighed. "There is no way I'm letting you go home like this. You can sleep it off at my house."

Grantaire stood up and with Stan's help, they walked out of the bar and grill.

***

Enjolras sat at the table of the restaurant where he was having dinner with Combeferre and Courfeyrac, his other best friend and Combeferre's fiancé. After finding out that Grantaire was his student and having to crush any hope of having a relationship with the young man, Enjolras had just wanted to go back home and climb under the covers to wallow in self-pity, but Courfeyrac had guilt tripped him into coming out with them.

As they ate, Combeferre and Courfeyrac talked about all the details left to plan for their wedding while Enjolras just sat there, pushing his food around on the plate. He was only half listening to what his two best friends were talking about. His head was full of thoughts of Grantaire.

"What do you think, Enjolras?" Combeferre asked. He noticed that his friend isn't paying attention. "Enjolras!"

"What?" Enjolras said.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Courfeyrac asked.

Enjolras nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What were we talking about?"

"We were talking about our wedding and asked if you think we will be ready in June." Combeferre told him

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "You guys have been planning this wedding since April, I think you'll be ready for June."

Courfeyrac looked at Combeferre and said, "See, I told you."

Combeferre rolled his eyes at his fiancé, but he was still watching Enjolras with a concerned expression on his face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just been a long day and I'm kinda tired." Enjolras said. "Do you guys mind if I head out? I know that I promised, but I'm falling asleep sitting here."

Courfeyrac gripped Combeferre's arm, and turned to look at his fiancé with wide eyes. "'Ferre, he's realized that he's tired. What's wrong with him?"

"Very funny, Courf, but I'm serious." Enjolras said.

"Yeah, you can go. We'll handle your bill." Combeferre told him.

"Thanks."

Enjolras stood up and grabbed his jacket. He walked out of the restaurant and to his car.

When he walked into his apartment, flashes of his night with Grantaire came crawling back with a vengeance. He removed his jacket and placed it on the hook. Enjolras planned on sleeping in the guest bedroom because he wanted to avoid walking into his bedroom for as long as possible because he knew that the memory was going to be stronger in there.

Enjolras sat on the couch scrolling through the TV channels, but when nothing was on, he forced himself to stand up and walk into his bedroom to grab his pajama pants before walking into the guest bedroom. He finished getting ready for bed.

Once he laid down, Enjolras closed his eyes and continued to push thoughts of Grantaire and what could have been out of his mind.

***

The next morning, Stan walked to the couch where Grantaire was laying. He had no problem letting Grantaire sleep at his house, but he still needed to be up in time for school. He may love the boy like a son, but that didn't stop him from giving the tough love speech every once in a while.

Stan opened the curtains to let the sun shine in. Grantaire groaned once the sun was shining in his face, but it wasn't enough to wake him. Stan sighed before going to get a glass of freezing cold water. He came back and threw the water on Grantaire.

"Hey!" Grantaire said as he sat up, but instantly regretted it when his head started swimming.

"You know the rule, you can crash at my place anytime, but you have be up for school." Stan said.

"Please, don't talk so loud." Grantaire asked, closing his eyes and putting his fingers to his temples.

"I'm literally whispering." Stan said. "I give it less than a minute before you are running to the bathroom."

Stan was right because five seconds later, Grantaire was running to the bathroom to empty his stomach. When he was done, Grantaire sat back because he knew another round would be coming. A few seconds later, he was emptying his stomach again. Stan walked in with a glass of water filled with Alka-Seltzer.

"You done?" Stan asked.

"I think so. Thanks." Grantaire said, taking the glass and downing half of it.

"Well, you have an hour to get to school. Steal anything of mine." Stan told him before leaving the bathroom.

Grantaire stood up and went into Stan's bedroom. He opened the closet and picked out a pair of jeans and a green flannel button down shirt. He was glad he had his green beanie and sunglasses because he was going to need them today. Grantaire took a quick shower in ice cold water to wake himself up more before getting dressed. He also brushed his teeth with an extra toothbrush.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Stan handed him a thermos of decaffeinated coffee. Grantaire took it graciously before finding his backpack. He grabbed his beanie and sunglasses from inside.

"I'll see you after school." Grantaire said before leaving Stan's apartment.

***

Grantaire arrived at the school and walked to his locker. His headache was just a dull ache after the water, cold shower, and the fresh air. He also stopped at the bakery on the way to school to get two protein filled blueberry muffins. Grantaire had been hungover enough times to know what his remedy was.

As he walked, he had decided to try and get himself transferred out of Enjolras' class. The school had two other social studies teachers, who taught world history at the same time.

He walked to the office. Grantaire asked for the transfer out of class form from the secretary. The secretary gave it to him, with no questions asked, just told him to get the teacher to sign it and then bring it back and they'd figure something out. Grantaire thanked her before making his way down to Enjolras' classroom.

The man in question was the only person in there when Grantaire arrived. He was writing something on the white board from the notebook in his hand. Enjolras looked beautiful. He was wearing a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a black tie tied loosely around his neck. His legs were clad in black dress pants and on his feet were black dress shoes. As he wrote on the board, Grantaire could see the muscles in his arms move and he was reminded of how those arms held him – no, do not think about that right now!

Grantaire lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Enjolras jumped before turning to look at him. He sighed. He capped the marker and set the notebook down.

"What are you doing here, Grantaire? I made it very clear that we can't-"

"To convince you that we can is not why I'm here." Grantaire told him. "I'm here to get you to sign this." He held up the paper.

Enjolras looked at him before asking. "What is that?" He crossed his arms.

"It's a transfer out of your class form." Grantaire explained.

"I see, but don’t you need this class to graduate." Enjolras commented.

"Yes, but there are two other social studies teachers here, both of which teach this class. I can transfer to one of theirs or I can take the class online. I'm doing this, so that it's easier for the both of us. I can't be in this room with you five days of the week knowing that when I look at you, I don't see my teacher. I see the man that I had sex with."

Enjolras nodded at him before holding out his hand for the paper. Grantaire handed it to him. Enjolras grabbed a pen and signed his name before handing it back to Grantaire. Grantaire turned to walk out of the room. Enjolras stopped him by calling his name. He walked close enough to Grantaire to whisper. "I hate this just as much as you do."

Grantaire turned his head and met his eyes. "I know." He said before leaving.

Grantaire walked back to the office and handed the secretary the piece of paper, fresh with Enjolras' signature. The secretary saw the class that he needed to be transferred out of.

The secretary looked up at Grantaire with a raised eyebrow. "Your world history class is one that you need, Nicolas. Are you sure that you want to be transferred out of it?"

"Yes, I can already tell that Mr. Enjolras and I aren't going to get along. It'll be best for me to be transferred out of it." Grantaire lied.

The secretary nodded and turned to the computer. She punched in a few letters. Grantaire watched her patiently, but when he saw her frown, Grantaire felt himself become nervous.

"I'm sorry, Nicolas, but it looks like every world history class is full." The secretary said.

Grantaire shook his head before saying through gritted teeth. "No, there must be something open. Mr. Connelly's or Mrs. Lee's? I'll take the class online, if I have too. I just can't be in that classroom." He could hear the desperation in his voice.

"Every class is full. As for taking it online, we don't offer world history as an option. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in Mr. Enjolras' class." The secretary told him. She got out a stamp and a stamp pad to stamp the piece of paper. When she pulled the stamp away from the paper, it had the word "DENIED" written on it in big capitalized red letters. She handed the paper back to Grantaire. Grantaire took it with a sigh of frustration.

He walked to his locker. He looked at the piece of paper before putting it between his world history book and notebook. Grantaire was throwing things in his locker when Éponine walked up to him.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Éponine said, teasingly. Grantaire glared at her.

"Did you want something?" Grantaire asked her.

Éponine looked him. "Grouch. As a matter of fact, I did. What was up with the weird tension between you and Mr. E yesterday?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." Grantaire told her, but he knew she had more questions. "And I don't want to talk about it either, so please drop it."

"Okay, dropping." Éponine told him.

Grantaire thanked her before turning back to his locker. "So, how was your night?"

"My night was wonderful. I had a great time with my boyfriend and girlfriend out on the town. Speaking of, when are we getting you a boyfriend?" Éponine asked him.

Grantaire looked at her. "I'm bisexual, remember. I like girls, too."

"But you have a stronger preference to boys." Éponine told him

Grantaire looked away from Éponine to Enjolras, who was talking to another teacher. Thankfully, Éponine didn't catch on to where he was looking. He shrugged when he looked back at her.

"Oh, come on. There has to be someone who has caught your eye." Éponine told him.

 _Oh, there is. The only problem is that he is my teacher._ Grantaire thought. He shook his head at his friend. "There isn't."

"What about him?" Éponine pointed to a man with short blonde hair, laughing with his friends at his locker. He was wearing a letterman's jacket.

"He's a jock." Grantaire told him.

Éponine raised an eyebrow. "You've always had a thing for jocks."

"I have never had thing for jocks. I hate jocks." Grantaire told her. The bell rang, Grantaire grabbed his books for his first hour class, and closed his locker. "I'll see you later."

***

Later that day, at lunch time, Grantaire was sitting with the rest of his friends. He was barely touching his food as he sketched a picture that looked a lot like Enjolras, but he kept telling himself that it wasn't. All of his friends around him were debating what they were going to do that weekend. Grantaire had already told them that he had to work that weekend and couldn't join them on whatever it was that they decided.

As they continued their discussion, Éponine approached with her tray and the guy that she had pointed out earlier. The guy approached Grantaire and stood over him casting a shadow over his sketchbook.

"Can I help you?" Grantaire asked annoyed.

The guy sat down a little too close for Grantaire's taste. "My name is Dylan. What are you drawing there?"

"None of your business that's what I'm drawing." Grantaire closed his sketchpad and set it on the counter. He looked at Dylan before rolling his eyes as he sighed. He stood up.

"Wait, I thought we could talk a little bit." Dylan said.

"No, we can't because you're not my type." Grantaire told him. He turned to face his friends. "Later, guys."

He grabbed his tray and brought it back into the kitchen. Grantaire walked to his locker to grab his books for his next class.

***

The rest of the day went quickly, and it was time for world history. Grantaire had pointedly been avoiding walking near this room all day after being denied a transfer. He grabbed his books, making sure the form was still secure in between the book and notebook. When he walked into the classroom and passed Enjolras' desk, he took the paper out from between the books and set it on Enjolras' desk. When he made it to his desk, he looked up at Enjolras.

Enjolras was looking at the sheet of paper, and Grantaire could tell that he wasn't surprised. When he looked over at Grantaire, Grantaire just shrugged. Enjolras sighed before setting the paper back down on his desk and stood up.

As he taught the class that hour, Enjolras was very careful to not look at Grantaire, who could only think about how much that year was going to suck.

***

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Grantaire walked to Enjolras' classroom before leaving. If he was going to be stuck in the classroom for the rest of the year, they needed to figure out a way to be able to be in the same room together and not let it be awkward. Enjolras was cleaning off the whiteboard when Grantaire arrived. He knocked and Enjolras signaled for him to come in.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras turned to face him. "Sure, what about?"

"Since I'm going to be stuck in here, we need to find a way for the tension between us to disappear or people will catch on. Éponine already asked me about it this morning." Grantaire told him. "This whole ignoring that the other exists isn't going to fly for long. We know what we did, and now, we have to live with it. Whether we like it or not." Grantaire said. "It's hard enough knowing that you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Grantaire. I could never hate you. I just hate the situation. I would have loved to get to know you better, and now I can't. That's what I hate." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire crossed his arms. "So, basically what you're saying is that if it was a different time, we could have been together a long ago."

"Yes, but it's not a different time. It's happening now, and I'm still your teacher-" Enjolras started.

"Yes, I get it. You're my teacher, I'm your student, so we can't. I heard you the first time, so can you stop sounding like a fucking broken record?" Grantaire asked, frustrated.

Enjolras sighed. He didn't bother saying anything about Grantaire's language. "I'm sorry, but it is the truth. I do agree we have to get past the tension. So, how do you propose we do that?"

"Well, for one, you could stop trying to avoid looking at me and your refusal to call on me. We are as you keep saying, "teacher and student", we need to start acting like it." Grantaire told him.

"I can do that, but then, you also need to stop looking at me longingly." Enjolras told him. Grantaire looked at him with wide eyes. "What? You didn't think I hadn't noticed. I'm not that oblivious. But if I've noticed, I'm sure other people have too."

"I'll do my best." Grantaire left the classroom with that.

Enjolras watched him leave. With every step that Grantaire took away from him, his heart broke a little more. He wanted to be with Grantaire, more than anything, but now he couldn't be. He was pulled to Grantaire like a magnet and it killed him knowing that there was nothing he could ever do about it. At least, not until the boy had graduated.

He finished cleaning the whiteboard before grabbed his jacket and laptop bag. Enjolras turned off the light, closed the door, and locked his classroom. As Enjolras was locking his door, Combeferre was walking down the hall.

"Hey, Enjolras." Combeferre said.

Enjolras gave his best friend a sad smile. "Hey, 'Ferre."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm alright."

They started walking out of the school together. Combeferre watched Enjolras with sharp eyes. He knew something was up. He has known that something was up for the last month, but he wouldn't say anything unless Enjolras brought it up first. When they walked out of the doors to the building, Combeferre saw Courfeyrac's car. He waved.

"I'll see you later, Enj." Combeferre smiled at his friend before walking to the car that was waiting for him. As he approached, Courfeyrac stepped out. Combeferre gave his fiancé a quick kiss before getting into the vehicle.

As Enjolras watched his two best friends, he felt a pang of jealousy bubble in his stomach. That was what he wanted with Grantaire.

 _I guess that I'll just have to get used to wanting things that I can't have._ Enjolras thought as he got into his car.

***

It was a chilly late October day, when Grantaire arrived at school. When he walked in, he saw that Enjolras' classroom was still locked which caused him to feel slightly disappointed. As Grantaire walked to his locker, he noticed that Dylan was already there to chat him up. Ever since Éponine brought him to lunch that day, Dylan had been stuck to his side like glue and it was driving Grantaire insane. Dylan was persistent in trying to get Grantaire to date him, but Grantaire wasn't interested. He didn't know how much clearer he could make that to Dylan. Grantaire didn't want anyone, but Enjolras.

Ever since that conversation about needing to act like the other person did exist, Grantaire had been keeping his pining out of the classroom and mostly in his sketchbook or when he was taking a shower and he got himself off to thoughts of Enjolras and how it felt to be fucked by him.

The moment Grantaire arrived at his locker, Dylan started right in on his flirting. Grantaire ignored it the best he could as he kept a close eye on the door for Enjolras.

When Enjolras walked in, the first thing he saw is the blonde haired boy standing next to his Grantaire at his locker and felt his stomach erupt in bubbles of jealousy. Grantaire was his and no one else's, or at least, he should've been his.

Grantaire noticed Enjolras walk in. He saw Enjolras watching him, but when he turned to look at him, Enjolras looked away. He quickly unlocked the classroom door and stepped inside. Grantaire felt a pang of hurt, so he quickly grabbed his books and followed Enjolras.

He walked into the classroom, and immediately said, "It isn't what it looks like, I swear."

Grantaire walked closer to the desk and the first thing he noticed was _The Great Gatsby_ sitting underneath a pile of papers. He suppressed a smiled.

Enjolras finished taking off his jacket. "No, I think it's exactly what it looks like, but you don't owe me an explanation, Grantaire. It’s not like we are ever able to-"

"Yes, I know, but whatever you're thinking is wrong. Dylan decided that I'm his next conquest and he won't leave me alone." Grantaire explained.

Enjolras looked at Grantaire before saying. "I see. Dylan is he captain of every sports team, right?" Grantaire nodded. "And I take it jocks aren't your type?"

"No." Grantaire told him, shaking his head. "It was Éponine's idea. She thought that since everyone in our friend group was happy and in a relationship, I should be too. So, she introduced Dylan to me and you can figure out the rest." Grantaire explained.

Enjolras nodded in understanding. "I get it. He may not be you're type, but if there's any person at this school that you're interested in. You don't need my permission to date them. You're entitled to date whoever you want." Enjolras told him. The words tasting like poison.

Grantaire nodded before leaving the room.

Enjolras could feel the anger that he felt come rushing to the surface. He saw his copy of _The Great Gatsby_ on his desk. He picked it up and hurled it across the room. He was angry at everything. He was angry at the situation. He was angry at Grantaire. But most importantly, he was angry at himself.

***

Grantaire had to work that day, so once school was out, he walked straight to the bar and grill. When he arrived, Stan was standing next to the bar with a glass in one hand and a towel in the other. He looked up when Grantaire approached.

"Okay, what's the deal? Every day since school started, you've come in here looking like someone kicked your puppy." Stan told him.

Grantaire set his stuff down behind the bar. "I don't have a puppy."

"And clearly, you aren't up to your game in order to figure out when I'm being sarcastic." Stan said. "So, R, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Grantaire told his friend, but when he looked at Stan, who was looking at him with raised eyebrow. "Fine. Do you remember a few months ago – oh wait, I forgot, you weren't working that night. Anyway, a few months back, a man came in here, and we ended up talking all night, and then we ended up sleeping together. Anyway, it turns out that the man is my new history teacher. The worst part about it is, we had this insane connection, but we can't be together for obvious reasons. And today, he said something about me being entitled to be with whoever I want, as if he doesn't already know that the person that I want to be with more than anything is him." Grantaire explained to his friend.

Stan poured a glass of water for him. He held it out to Grantaire, who looked at it skeptically. "It's only water. I know you don't want to touch alcohol after that nasty hangover you had the second day of school." Grantaire took the glass. "So, I take it you agreed to just keep it strictly teacher and student?"

"Yes, we did, but that's easier said than done when we see each other every day." Grantaire told him.

Stan doesn't say anything, instead they both just get to work.

***

Later that night when Grantaire returned home. He saw his mom's car in the driveway, and his heart leapt. There was no person in the world that he loved more than his mother, Caterina. It had only be the two of them since Grantaire was nine years old. Caterina was an RN at the South Kitts Hospital, and she worked a 12 hour shift most days with a schedule that varied. It was always luck when Grantaire would be able to see his mother because most of the time their schedules never matched up.

Grantaire walked into the house, and his mother is sitting in the kitchen with a book and mug of coffee. Caterina looked up at her son.

"Hello, Grantaire." Caterina said. "How was work?"

"Good." Grantaire smiled as he set down his backpack.

Caterina noticed the look on her son's face. "Grantaire, what is it?"

Grantaire took out an envelope from his backpack. He held up, so his mother could see it. "We got paid today. So, with just one more paycheck after this, I will have enough for that art class at the community college. Not only that, but I would be able to quit the bar."

Grantaire had already been accepted to his dream college of the Maine College of Art (MECA). He had been accepted without a portfolio or anything that showed his skill with a paintbrush because the school had said that they had been looking at his art since he was six years old. The only thing was that before he attended, they had told him that he needed to take a class that was held at the South Kitts Community College after he graduated. Grantaire had been saving the money from his paychecks in order to pay for the class. Caterina had offered to pay for it, but since she was already done so much for him, Grantaire had told her no, he would pay for the class.

Caterina stood up from her spot in order to give her son a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, mom. I can't wait." Grantaire told his mom with a kiss on her cheek. "I'm going to go do my homework."

"I'll call you when dinner is ready." Caterina said.

Grantaire nodded and walked out of the kitchen to his bedroom. He put the envelope in a drawer that was labeled "MECA". All the money from his paychecks, both cashed and uncashed were in there. Grantaire closed the drawer and went to sit on his bed in order to do his homework.

***

On Monday, October 30th, it was the 20th anniversary of the death of Enjolras' father. Before Enjolras left to go to the school, he called his mother to make sure that she was doing alright.

 _"You know this day is always hard, Enj."_ His mother had said.

"I know. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you this year." Enjolras told her.

His mother sighed. _"It's alright. You should be heading to work."_

"I'll call you later tonight, mom. I love you."

_"I love you, too." His mother replied._

When he walked into his classroom, Enjolras sat his bag down and took off his jacket. He started getting ready for the day. As his computer started up, he heard a knock on the door. Combeferre. Enjolras nodded for him to come in.

"Hey, Enj. How are you doing today?" Combeferre asked.

Enjolras looked up at his friend. "'Ferre, I know what you're doing. I'm fine. I was four when he died. I barely remember him."

Combeferre raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter. No matter how long it’s been the anniversary is always hard."

"I know, but I'm fine. The one I'm more worried about it my mother. I feel bad that I'm not there this year." Enjolras told his friend.

"You're mother knew how important it was that you found a job, even if you it took you out of Boston. She'll be fine." Combeferre said.

Enjolras nodded. "Thanks, 'Ferre."

Combeferre left the room with a nod.

The rest of the day went fast, so when world history came around, and Grantaire walked in, he offered Enjolras a small smile, but Enjolras didn't return it. As Enjolras taught the class that day, Grantaire watched Enjolras closely. He could see that his eyes looked sad and wet, like he was about burst out in tears at any minute. Grantaire also noticed that Enjolras had to backtrack many times. The man was clearly distracted and Grantaire was determined to find out why.

As Enjolras handed out the assignment, Grantaire wrote a small message on a piece of paper. When Enjolras handed him his assignment, he dropped the paper in Enjolras' hand. Enjolras looked at him confused.

"Open it." Grantaire mouthed before he turned to the assignment.

Enjolras waited to open the note until he was back at his desk. He opened it up and read the note. _Whether you like it or not, I am coming in here after school. I can tell that something's bothering you.. – Grantaire._ Enjolras sighed before looking up at Grantaire, who was watching him, he discreetly nodded. Grantaire smiled before turning back to his work.

***

After school, Grantaire waited in the men's locker room for the school to empty out. When he was sure that everyone was gone, Grantaire walked out of the locker room to Enjolras' classroom. Enjolras was sitting at his desk, looking at a piece of paper when he knocked on the door. Enjolras looked up and signaled for Grantaire to come in.

Grantaire sat on top of a desk, half expecting for Enjolras to tell him to sit in the desk properly, but he doesn't. Instead, Enjolras does the same thing.

"So, what's bothering you?" Grantaire asked, bluntly. Enjolras glanced at him. "I'm sorry for being blunt. It's just from the look in your eyes, I knew that something was wrong. I know that look very well because my mom has it every once in a while. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but I can't just walk away when I know that something is wrong. I care about you, Enjolras."

Enjolras closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No, I get it. It's just-" He stopped himself to gain composure. He could feel the tears wanting to come all day. He refused to let them come now in front of Grantaire. "Today is the 20th anniversary of my father's death. It's just difficult because I don't really remember him, and I know how tough this day is for my mom. Normally, we are together on this day, but not year."

"I'm sorry." Grantaire apologized. "How did he die?"

"Stomach cancer. His illness is actually why we moved to the U.S. My dad's parents live in Boston, and my dad wanted to be closer to them. We were only the U.S. six months when he died."

"You said on the first day of school that you were only four when you moved?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras nodded. "Yep, and being only four, I didn't really understand the whole my dad being here one day, and gone the next. My mother took his death really hard though."

"Did she ever remarry?"

"No, we lived with my mom's parents, who also live in Boston, until I was 16. My mom and grandparents worked their asses off to make sure I got the best education possible. The money from dad's will was going to be used for my college tuition." Enjolras explained. "If you don't mind me asking, why does your mom get the sad look in her eyes?"

Grantaire sighed before he explained. "My dad abandoned us when I was nine. She thinks that he will have a change of heart and come back to have a relationship with me, but I doubt it."

"There's nothing wrong with having hope." Enjolras told them.

"Yeah, well, the way I see it, he's an asshole. He clearly didn't love either of us enough to stay. I'm actually quite certain he didn’t love me at all to begin with. I can guarantee he only stay because it was the right thing to do, especially considering my mom had me when she was 15 and he was 17." Grantaire explained.

"Do you really believe that?" Enjolras asked.

"Yes, I do. He barely took care of me when I was a baby or when I was growing up. My mom told me that they had broken up, but when she found out that she was pregnant, they had gotten back together. He cheated on her at least five times during the time that she was pregnant with me. She never would have made it through without the help of my grandparents. They were disappointed to her, but she was determined to make it up to them. She finished high school, went to college to become a nurse, and now she works at the hospital." Grantaire said, with a smile. "She's the best mom in the world."

"Well, at least you have one parent that cares about you."

Grantaire nodded. "Yeah, and because she loves me that much is the reason I took the job at the bar and grill in the first place. I got accepted to the Maine College of Art. A major in painting and a minor in art history. They told me that they've had an eye on my art since I was six. Anyway, there's a class that they requested that I take here before I attend. The class costs $550. So, I took a job because I didn't want my mom to have to pay for the class."

"You’re an artist?" Enjolras asked when Grantaire finished.

"I am." Grantaire grinned. Joy welling in his chest. "The school is having an art show on Friday. I'll have three pieces in it, if you want to attend.

"Maybe, I will." Enjolras told him.

They gazed at each other. Both of them knowing that they have to pull away, but both reluctant to do so.

Grantaire eventually broke the gaze by standing up. "I should probably go. Thank you for telling me."

"It felt good to talk about it." Enjolras told him.

"I'm glad." Grantaire smiled. He threw his backpack over his shoulder. He started walking out of the classroom.

"Um…Grantaire, if you ever need to talk to someone about your father, I'm here." Enjolras told him.

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow." Grantaire opened the door and left.

When the door closed, Enjolras sighed before walking to his desk and grabbing the rest of his things.

***

On Wednesday, Grantaire stood next to his locker, grabbing his sketchbook and pencils for his art class. Dylan came up behind him and placed his hands over Grantaire's eyes.

"Guess who?" Dylan asked.

Grantaire didn't play along, instead he grabbed Dylan's hands and ripped them away from his face. "Don't ever do that again!" He growled.

Dylan held up his hands in surrender. "What the hell crawled up your ass today? I was just being friendly."

"Yeah, well, you being "friendly" is starting to get on my last good nerve." Grantaire told him with a roll of his eyes.

"Why?"

Grantaire turned to him and said, "Because I don't like you. You're not my type. However, I have heard that the cheerleader, Bridgette, likes you. Go chase her around."

"She likes me?" Dylan said with a giddy smile.

"Yeah." Grantaire said, sarcastically.

Dylan continued to smile before running away in excitement.

Grantaire rolled his eyes before turning his head to look at Enjolras, who was standing outside his classroom, watching him. Grantaire offered him a small smile, but Enjolras didn't return it. He looked away from him to watch the other students. Grantaire couldn't help the hurt that he felt from it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Enjolras saw Grantaire look away from him. He turned his head as Grantaire shut his locker and walked down the hall. Enjolras watched him until he disappeared. He felt bad for not returning the smile, but it was for the best. He was still looking in the direction that Grantaire went when a student walked up to him with their absent slip.

***

Later that night, Grantaire sat at the kitchen table. His sketchbook on the table and a pencil in his hand. Caterina was cooking dinner.

As Caterina stirred the contents of the pot on the stove, she asked. "Did you finally get rid of Dylan?"

"Yes, I did. I just hope that it sticks." Grantaire replied. "I forgot to tell you. Parent-teacher conferences are next Thursday, if you were interested in going."

"I know. I already switched shifts. I know that I probably don't have to go since you are basically an A student, but I just want to check in." Caterina told her son. "Dinner's almost ready, so if you would set the table."

"Sure." Grantaire nodded. He closed his sketchbook and left to go put it in his bedroom before coming back to set the table.

As Grantaire set the table, Caterina took the fried chicken out from the oven. Removing the chicken from the pan, Caterina glanced at her son. "Um…honey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, mom."

"Who is the young man in your sketchbook?" Caterina asked. She turned her head and saw that Grantaire was frozen where he stood. "I didn't mean to look. I was just moving it earlier and some pages slipped out. When I was putting them back in, I couldn't help noticing the sketches of him. I'm curious because you've never drawn anyone in there other than me or your friends. He's handsome, I can tell you that, but who is he?"

Grantaire continued to set the table. "He's nobody important."

"Well, clearly he is." Caterina told him, placing the chicken on the table. "R, I can tell that you've been distracted lately. Is this person the reason why?"

Grantaire nodded. "Fine. His name is Enjolras. I had a one night stand with him way back in August." He saw his mother roll her eyes. "I know what you're thinking, but trust me, it's wrong. Anyway, we had a one night stand and never saw each other after that. Until the first day of school." Grantaire took a deep breath before he revealed who Enjolras really was. "He's the new history teacher."

Caterina's eyes went wide. "Grantaire, please, tell me that you didn't."

Grantaire put his hands up in surrender. "We haven't done anything since that night. We've kept our distance. But that doesn't change the fact that the two of us have this insane connection. I'm drawn to him, but I'm not going to do anything that would get him in trouble."

His mother nodded. "Okay, just promise me that you'll be careful."

"You don't have to worry, mom. I know what is at stake here." Grantaire told his mother. "You won't say anything?"

"My lips are sealed." Caterina promised, then went back to getting the food for dinner.

***

The next day, during free period, Grantaire walked into Enjolras' classroom to turn in his world history assignment. He saw Enjolras looking down at a paper, looking as if he was close to ripping his hair out. Grantaire chuckled, but Enjolras didn't look up until he felt a shadow over him.

"Everything alright?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras sighed. "Other than the fact that these tests are all pretty much F's except for two, everything is just fine."

"What class is it for?"

"Civics. The freshmen. The majority of the class understand it when I'm teaching it and when I hand out the assignment, they all hunt for the answers. But come test time, they get almost all the answers wrong, when I know that they know the correct answers. I just don't get it." Enjolras exclaimed causing Grantaire to chuckle. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry, I just never thought seeing you go on a rant about ninth graders would be as adorable as it was." Grantaire told him, not realizing what he said. Enjolras raised an eyebrow. Grantaire replayed what he said. "I said adorable, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, but it's alright." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire looked at the stack of papers, sitting next to Enjolras. All grades had to be in by noon tomorrow for it was the end of the first quarter. Their school years were divided into two semesters with two quarters each, making a total of four quarters. The first quarter ended tomorrow.

"All those have to be graded?" Grantaire gestured to the pile.

Enjolras looked at the pile. "I haven't had time. I've been busy with other things like reluctantly helping my two best friends plan their wedding."

"Do you want help?"

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have class?"

"Free period. I literally do nothing this hour." Grantaire said. "Please, Enjolras, let me help you."

"I don't know, Grantaire."

Grantaire sighed and crossed his arms. "Think about it this way. If you let me help, you can still get to know me."

"Not in the way I wanted to." Enjolras said, refusing to look up at Grantaire.

"I know, but at least you'd be able to in some form or another." Grantaire encouraged.

Enjolras reluctantly gave in to him. "Fine." He turned to the stack of papers. He looked for assignments that were worksheets to let Grantaire grade. He'd leave the essays, quizzes, and tests for himself. Enjolras gave the stack of papers to Grantaire.

Grantaire took them graciously. He grabbed a red pen from the cup of pens on Enjolras' desk, and then, took a seat at one of the desks to start grading the papers.

As they graded, they glanced up at the other when the other wasn’t looking.

***

Grantaire finished up his stack of the papers five minutes to the time that the bell was supposed to ring. He capped the pen before standing up to bring the papers back to Enjolras' desk. After handing the papers to Enjolras, Grantaire stretched out his hand because it was cramped. Enjolras chuckled.

"Does your hand ever cramp like this? I spend my days drawing in a sketchpad, so mine shouldn't be cramping." Grantaire said.

"Sometimes." Enjolras said, finishing up his grading on a student's assignment. He looked up at Grantaire with a smiled. "Thank you, Grantaire."

"You're welcome." Grantaire grabbed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. "I was being serious, you know. About using this time to get to know me. I can help you grade papers. Clean the board. Anything you need."

"I know. I agreed, didn't I?" Enjolras leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, but I thought that you would put up more of a fight." Grantaire said.

Enjolras shrugged. "I guess the moment that you mentioned the whole getting to know you thing, I didn't see a reason to fight you on it."

Grantaire was about to say something when the bell rang. He smiled before walking out of the classroom.

***

On Friday, Grantaire walked into the school, carrying his backpack and a painting for the art show that night. Joly, Jehan, Bossuet, and Bahorel could all see that their friend was stressed out as they walked up to him.

"Okay, you're stressed. How about during free period, you and I go into the weight room and throw punches at the punching bag?" Bahorel suggested.

Grantaire looked over his shoulder and saw Enjolras talking to Combeferre outside of the science classroom. Reliving his stress by throwing punches sounded wonderful, but he would never give up the time he spent with Enjolras for anything. "I can't. I have to help set up for the art show tonight."

"Then, tomorrow, you and I are going to the gym. I'll pick you up." Bahorel said.

"Sounds good." Grantaire agreed.

The bell rang and the friends dispersed. Grantaire shook his head as he walked to his English class. He hated lying to his friends, but he didn’t dare tell them about spending his free periods with Enjolras until he had his permission.

***

Enjolras had put him to work cleaning the whiteboards during free period that day. Between the two of them, yesterday, they had graded almost all the papers, and Enjolras had finished grading when he got home. As Grantaire cleaned the whiteboard, Enjolras was finishing up putting the grades in the online gradebook.

"Can I ask you something?" Grantaire asked as he washed the cloth out.

"Of course." Enjolras said, without looking up from the computer screen.

Grantaire sighed. "I know that I can't tell my friends about our little dalliance before school started, but can I tell them about spending free period in here? Tell them it's for extra credit or something. I'm asking because my friend, Bahorel, asked me to go into the weight room during this hour this morning, and I had to lie to him by saying that I had to help set up for the art show tonight. I hate lying to my friends."

"I never asked you to lie to them about spending free period in here. We just need the whole one night stand thing to remain a secret." Enjolras told him, leaning back in his chair. Grantaire nodded and turned back to the whiteboard. "Speaking of that night, you haven't told anyone, have you?"

Grantaire didn't say anything for a few moments. He thought about lying to him, but he also knew that Enjolras was smart enough to see through the lie. "Just my co-worker, Stan," Grantaire said before running his hand through his hair. "And maybe, my mom."

"Grantaire!" Enjolras looked at him with wide eyes.

Grantaire looked at him, helplessly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell them, but Stan is the only father figure that I have ever known. He knew something was wrong. Then, my mom saw my sketchbook with a sketch of you in there." He explained. He doesn't even stop to think about the fact that he just admitted to Enjolras that he's drawn him in his sketchbook. "She started asking questions because I've only ever drawn her or my friends in there. She would have kept asking until I told her. They won’t say anything, I promise."

Enjolras closed his eyes to calm his anger. "You do realize how consequential it could be if the wrong person found out?"

"Yes!" Grantaire told him. "But what could they do? We haven't done anything since that night. Not to mention the fact that it happened _before_ we knew that you'd be my teacher. Besides, I'm eighteen. It's not like you fucked a minor!" He said with such vulgarity that Enjolras looked at him as if he had been slapped.

Enjolras stood up when the shock wore off. He walked to stand in front of Grantaire. "I realize that, but it could very well be used against us-" He was cut off by Grantaire.

"There is no "us", remember?" Grantaire used air quotes around us. "You explicitly said that there couldn't be. Multiple times. I mostly only told them because I needed someone to know. I needed to be able to talk to someone about how the one person that I want to be with more than anything is the one person that I can't have. I can’t tell my friends. It's not like I can talk to you about it."

"You think that you're the only one struggling with this?" Enjolras asked, but before Grantaire could reply, he continued. "Do you have any idea how much self-control it takes to not press you up against a wall and have my way with you? Or how it felt seeing that boy flirt with you knowing there was not a damn thing that I could do about it? I hated it!"

"I know, you did."

"So, then don’t stand there and try to tell me that this is harder on you than it is on me." Enjolras told him.

They glared at each other until the bell rang. Grantaire grabbed his backpack and walked out of the room in anger.

During world history, they refused to even look at each other. Halfway through the class, Combeferre came in to ask Enjolras if he could watch his homeroom class because he and Courfeyrac had an appointment at 2:45 for their wedding tuxes. Enjolras agreed and Combeferre apologized for interrupting the class before leaving.

Knowing that Enjolras wouldn't be in there during homeroom gave Grantaire an idea for his apology.

***

Grantaire felt horrible for the rest of the day following free period. He understand why Enjolras was angry, but he needed to trust him when he said that they wouldn't tell anyone. Grantaire knew that he needed to apologize. So, during homeroom, Grantaire sketched a drawing of their hands intertwined from their night together.

When they were having sex, Enjolras had taken Grantaire's hand in his own and laced their fingers together. Afterward, their hands had stayed laced together as they cuddled and made out in Enjolras' bed. Grantaire had reluctantly pulled their hands apart the next morning when he left. The memory of Enjolras' hand in his had been ingrained into his memory, so it was easy to draw. However, above the drawing, Grantaire had written, "What almost was", then below, he wrote, "What can never be."

Grantaire had made sure that his classmates couldn't see what he had written next to the drawing. Once the drawing was done, he asked his homeroom teacher if he could go to the bathroom. Grantaire walked down the hallway toward the bathroom, thankful that Enjolras' classroom was on the way. He checked to make sure no one was in there before he walked in and set the drawing on top a pile of papers on Enjolras' desk. Grantaire then left the room before heading back to his homeroom.

***

Once the day was over, Enjolras walked back into his classroom. He walked to his desk and the first thing that he saw was the beautiful drawing. Enjolras was in awe of the drawing as he looked at it. There were no words for how beautiful the drawing was. His attention was soon taken from the drawing to the words written next to it. For in Grantaire's messy cursive scrawl, he had written.

_I'm sorry. I know that this isn't easy for you either. This whole year hasn't been easy for obvious reasons. It hurts so much to sit in that desk knowing what it's like to feel your lips against mine, my hand intertwined with yours, and finally, my bare skin against yours. That connection we had/have, I've never felt anything like it before. I'm sorry that I told them, but you have to trust me when I say that they won’t tell anyone. I hope that you're still planning on coming to the art show tonight. I would understand if you didn't show up, but I would really appreciate it if you did, but it's your choice. – Grantaire_

The words Grantaire had written were like a punch to the gut. Enjolras then put the drawing in his bag for safe keeping. He then left the classroom in hurry because he had an art show to get ready for.

***

Grantaire sat on the bleachers of the gymnasium watching for Enjolras to come through the entrance. He hadn't seen him yet and the art show started an hour ago. At this point, Grantaire was almost certain that he wasn't going to come, which he didn’t blame him for. Grantaire was grateful to see he that his friends and mother were there, but he just wanted to see Enjolras.

He knew that he should go and talk to people about his art, but he just couldn't bring himself to move from his spot on the bleachers. Grantaire heard footsteps coming to sit next to him, but he was too busy looking at the door to pay attention to who it was.

"Who are you looking for?" Caterina asked.

Grantaire pulled his gaze from the door. "No one. They aren't coming."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Grantaire shook his head. "It's alright. Probably for the best."

He stood up to leave the bleachers. Caterina, thankfully, didn't follow him. Grantaire walked to the snack table to get a glass of punch.

"The paintings you did were beautiful." A voice from behind him said, but Grantaire was too disappointed to realize whose voice it was.

Grantaire nodded. "Thanks, but I'm not really in the mood to talk about art, so if you could-" He turned around and saw Enjolras standing there in a suit and tie, hands in his pockets, smiling at him. "I thought you weren't going to show."

Enjolras walked to the snack table, but he kept enough distance between them, so that it wouldn't look suspicious.

"I almost didn't. After the fight we had, I had decided not to come, but then you gave me that drawing." Enjolras explained.

"I hope you liked it." Grantaire smiled.

"I did. It was beautiful." Enjolras told him. "I'm sorry about the way I reacted. I trust you when you say that they won't say anything. You know them better than I do, so if you trust them not to, I do too. It's just…"

Grantaire looked at him. "What?"

"If anything happened, and I wasn't able to see you every day, I don't know what I'd do. Sometimes it feels like the only reason I make it through the day is because I get to see you. Then, there are other days, where it feels like I'm suffocating because I get to see you, but not be with you in the way that I want to be." Enjolras explained.

Grantaire nodded in understanding. "I knew this was going to be hard, but I never imagined it was going to be like this."

"I know. Will you meet me outside in 10 minutes? We need to finish talking about this." Enjolras said. Grantaire agreed with a nod, then Enjolras walked away.

Grantaire went to mingle as he waited for the 10 minutes to be up. He caught Enjolras leaving the gymnasium, but figured it would be best to wait another five minutes before he left to. After the extra five minutes, Grantaire gave his excuse before going outside to find Enjolras. He gasped when someone grabbed his arm, pulling him into the hiding spot.

"What the he-" Grantaire saw that it was Enjolras. "Oh, it's you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright. I just wasn't expecting it when I should've have been."

Enjolras smiled at him. "I'm sorry."

"You said that already. I think we've established that we are both sorry." Grantaire told him.

"I know. That's not what I'm apologizing for." Enjolras told him.

"Then, what?"

Enjolras moved a curl away from Grantaire's face. He cupped Grantaire's face, and Grantaire leaned in to it. "I'm apologizing because of this whole mess, and if I had only met you a year from now, it wouldn't have to be this way."

Grantaire realized how close he and Enjolras were standing to each other. They both started leaning in, but then they heard the door opening and someone call. "Grantaire! Where are you?" Enjolras pressed his forehead against Grantaire's and sighed.

"I'm sorry." Grantaire said.

"It's alright. Go." Enjolras pulled away from Grantaire.

Grantaire left their hiding spot. He told the person that came out that he just needed some air. Enjolras didn't hear what the person replied.

Enjolras waited for the two of them to go back inside before he followed a few minutes later. He took a deep breath before leaving the hiding spot. As he walked back in, he realized that he had been about to kiss the 18-year old, but he didn't care because he wanted nothing more than to kiss Grantaire.

***

On Monday, Grantaire was back in Enjolras' classroom, sorting papers to be handed back to the students. Enjolras kept quizzes and tests, but handed back book assignments and worksheets. There was a silent agreement between them to not talk about the almost kiss.

Parent-teacher conferences were on Thursday. Enjolras was nervous about conferences because he wanted the parents to like him. He was terrified of meeting Grantaire's mother because he knew that he wasn't just attracted to Grantaire, he was definitely falling in love with him.

Grantaire finished up his sorting before putting them in a neat pile. Enjolras took them with a smile.

"So, are you nervous about parent-teacher conferences?" Grantaire asked.

"Yes. The student's seem to like me, but now, it's time for the parents' opinions." Enjolras said, looking from his computer.

Grantaire smiled. "You'll be fine." He looked around the room. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Nope, I think you're free to go." Enjolras said. "But if you want to stay until the bell rings, you're welcome, too."

Grantaire decided to stay. To pass the time until the bell rang, he doodled in his sketchbook while he chatted with Enjolras. When the bell rang, Grantaire stood up with a smile, and said his goodbyes to Enjolras as he left. He walked to his locker to put his books away before Jehan walked up to him.

"Is there a reason as to why I saw you walking out of Mr. E's room?" Jehan asked. "I have it on good authority that you are supposed to be in the art room during this hour."

Grantaire came up with a lie as quick as he could. "I got done with the project, so I worked on homework. I was turning in an assignment."

Jehan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. The look on his face told Grantaire that he didn't believe him. "Yeah, sure. That's why you were grinning from ear to ear when you walked out."

Grantaire sighed. "Fine, if you must know, I finished all my art projects already. I go in to Mr. E's classroom during free period to help him out a bit. Grading papers, washing the whiteboards. Anything he needs. It’s kind of an extra credit thing."

"An extra credit thing that makes you smile like a little girl on Christmas morning." Jehan asked.

"Yes, because I get two extra credit points for doing it." Grantaire explained as he got his books for his next class.

Jehan's eyebrow raised further. "You know what gets me about the whole "extra credit" thing is that you are basically an 'A' student who has no need for extra credit." He pointed out.

Grantaire groaned internally. Nothing ever got passed Jehan. "Yeah, well, sometimes a little extra credit doesn't hurt. Plus, Mr. Enjolras does need the help."

"And this has nothing to do with the obvious weirdness between the two of you the first couple of weeks of school, right?" Jehan asked.

Grantaire flinched internally. "No, it doesn't. We've moved past that. Everything is fine now." He finished grabbing his books and closed his locker. Grantaire turned to his friend. "I'll see you later."

As he walked away, Grantaire knew that Jehan wasn't done with the conversation.

***

Combeferre walked into Enjolras' classroom. He saw Enjolras leaning over his computer as he read something on the screen. Enjolras looked up when he heard knocking on the door. He waved Combeferre inside.

"Hey, we still on for dinner tonight?" Combeferre asked.

Enjolras nodded. "Yes."

"Enj, is there something that you're not telling me?" Combeferre asked.

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

"Maybe because I feel like Courf and I never see you anymore. We used to spend our prep hours together, but then about a week ago, you told me that they weren't open anymore. Clearly, something happened."

"Nothing happened. I just need to spend it grading paper, not visiting." Enjolras told him.

"You're lying." Combeferre said. Enjolras looked up at him in disbelief. "I've known you most of my life, Enj, I can tell when you are lying, and you're lying right now."

"I am not-"

Just then, Grantaire walked in, looking down at his worksheet. "I finished the worksheet. I figured I would come in before class and turn it in, so I cou-" He looked up only to see Combeferre standing next to Enjolras' desk. He froze where he stood for a few seconds before walking to Enjolras and handing him the worksheet.

"Thank you, Grantaire. I'll see you in class." Enjolras said.

Grantaire knowing a dismissal when he heard one, started walking back out of the room. "Alright, I'll see you later. Hi, Mr. C."

"Hi, Grantaire." Combeferre said. He waited until Grantaire was out of the room before turning to his best friend. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Enjolras avoided looking at his friend.

"Really?" Combeferre crossed his arms. "If something wasn't up, he wouldn't have stopped talking when he saw me."

"Nothing is going on." Enjolras told his friend. Hoping that his face remained indifferent, so he didn't give away anything.

Combeferre watched his friend, with a disapproving look on his face and crossed arms. "Really? Are you sure? You could cut the tension between the two of you with a fucking knife!"

"Combeferre!" Enjolras said, glaring at his best friend. "Nothing. Is. Going. On." He punctuated every word to try and get the point across. "Now, can you let it go, please?"

"Fine." Combeferre held up his hands in surrender. "It's just you're my best friend, Enjolras. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me, okay? You have to trust me."

Combeferre sighed before leaving the classroom. Enjolras sighed before running his hands over his face. He hated having to lie to his best friend, but the less people who knew the better. He and Grantaire were already risking it with Grantaire's mother and friend knowing. They couldn't risk anymore people finding out, and that included his own best friend.

About five minutes before world history started that day, Grantaire walked in earlier. He could see the look of disapproval on Enjolras' face when he walked in.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have knocked." Grantaire told him.

The look on Enjolras' face softened with the apology. "It's alright. Just please, remember to knock. You know how careful we have to be."

Grantaire nodded. "I know. I will."

"You know how badly I want to be with you, right?" Enjolras asked as he placed his hand over Grantaire's as they looked at each other.

"Yes," Grantaire said, "because I want to be with you just as badly."

Enjolras leaned forward and placed a kiss on Grantaire's forehead before turning away, just as the first student filed in.

***

Grantaire woke up around six in the morning only to run to the bathroom. He had barely enough time to put the toilet seat cover up before he was vomiting into the bowl. He had already been up most of the night coughing. Caterina was getting ready to head to work when she heard the noises coming from the bathroom. She walked in and saw her son's head in the toilet bowl. Being a nurse, Caterina knew the flu was going around.

When Grantaire was finished, Caterina was standing there with a glass of water. Grantaire took it graciously and swished his mouth. He brushed his teeth before Caterina put the thermometer in his mouth. Caterina looked at her watch after about two minutes and plucked the stick from her son's mouth.

"103.5." Caterina said. "Yeah, you aren't going to school today."

"But, mom, I have to go." Grantaire told him.

"With a fever this high, no way in hell. Now, get back in bed. I'll bring you water, and see if you can keep toast down." Caterina said.

"Fine."

Grantaire left the bathroom to go back to his bedroom. He grabbed his phone to quickly text his friends that he wouldn't be in school today. He also texted Enjolras the same thing. They had exchanged numbers when he had started coming in for free period.

**_Grantaire (6:23 A.M.): Hey!! I won't be in school today because I have a fever of 103.5. I'll miss seeing your face. ; )_ **

_**Enjolras (6:24 A.M.): I'm sorry to hear that. I'll miss seeing your face, too. Feel better soon. Do everything that your mother asks you too, please. For me.** _

_**Grantaire (6:24 A.M.): Well, when you put it like that. ; ) Don't worry, I'm hoping to be back in school tomorrow, so don't miss me that much.** _

**_Enjolras (6:24 A.M.): I miss you, no matter, if you're in school or not. ;_ )**

***

The day went on with Enjolras texting Grantaire every time he had a break in the day to check up on him. When Grantaire had told him that he was sick that morning, Enjolras had felt his heart sink. Seeing Grantaire was the best part of his day. He had also been looking forward to Grantaire trying to him prep for the conference with his mother. Grantaire had sent tips later in the day after he asked.

The conferences eventually started, and they all went a lot smoother than what Enjolras had been expecting.

Finally, around seven-thirty, a woman with long curly dark hair walked in, wearing scrubs. He could just tell by the resemblance that it was Grantaire's mother. She came in and shut the door.

Enjolras stood up as she walked to the desk. He held out his hand. "You must be Caterina?"

"And you must be Enjolras?" She said, taking his hand. "My son has told me a lot about you."

"All good, I hope.

They sat down. Enjolras turned his attention to his computer to look for Grantaire's grade. He didn’t have to look for it because he spent enough looking at it that it was committed to memory, but just wanted to put up the charade for Caterina.

"Um, Grantaire currently has a 97 percent. He's actually the best in the class, and I enjoy hearing his opinions on the material we go over in class, even if it's almost always drenched in cynicism."

Caterina smiled. "Well, I'm not surprised about my son's grade. He's always done well in school. He always had an interest in art and English, not so much history. That is, at least, until you came along."

They looked at each other. It took a few seconds before Enjolras understood what Caterina was referring too.

"Look, I know that you know about my night with Grantaire, but I need you to know that I would never force your son into anything. Ever. We haven't done anything since that night, I swear." Enjolras told her. He could hear the panic in his voice.

"Don't worry I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because believe it or not, you are best thing that's ever happened in my son's life." Caterina told him. "I don't know how much he's shared with you about his childhood and upbringing, but I can promise you it wasn't easy. You are best thing that could have possibly happened to him, trust me. And I know, that if you weren't his teacher and he wasn't your student, you'd allow yourself to feel what you feel for him and not be ashamed of it."

"I am not ashamed of what I feel for him." Enjolras said, defensively. He doesn't stop to think about what he just said. "I hate this just as much as he does."

"Oh, I'm sure, but the thing is. Grantaire doesn't need protection. He's old enough to make his own decisions. Being with you, in whatever way you will allow, is something that he wants. However, if you want to be with him, in the way that I know both of you want to be, I say take the risk." Caterina told him.

Enjolras leaned back in his seat. "I would think as his mother, you'd be discouraging it."

Caterina shrugs. "Again, he's 18. As long as it’s consensual, I know that I have nothing to worry about. All I want is for him to be happy." They look at each other as if they've come to an understanding. "Obviously, it will be your choice what you want to do, and I can't tell Grantaire what to do. I can only advise him. However, I will tell you this, you do anything to hurt my son, and I will end you. Am I understood?" Caterina asked.

"Yes." Enjolras said. Seeing the mama bear coming out to protect Grantaire.

"Good." Caterina stood up. She opened the door and walked out.

Enjolras let out a breath that he hadn't even realized that he was holding.

***

When Caterina got home, she was surprised to see Grantaire, up and about. He was in the kitchen, making himself a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. He was just pouring himself a glass of milk while Caterina shut the door.

"You're up?"

"I was hungry. Plus, I feel better than I did this morning." Grantaire sat down.

Caterina nodded as she took off her jacket and shoes. "I met Enjolras. I can see why you like him."

Grantaire was biting into the sandwich when he rolled his eyes. "Mom, can we please not talk about that?"

She held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, but I just have one question. What do you feel for him?"

"I've fallen in love with him, and I fall more and more in love with him, every day." Grantaire told him mother. "Not that it matters. Nothing can happen between us until after graduation anyway."

Caterina walked to her son and pressed a kiss on his forehead. "You never know. Don't give up hope just yet." She walked out of the kitchen after that.

Grantaire didn't dwell on his mother's words. He just got back to eating.

***

The next morning, Grantaire walked to the office for his absent slip. He went to his locker afterward to put his books from his backpack inside. As he was finishing up, Joly approached him.

"You're back. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Thank you."

"I'm glad to hear it." Joly said. "Everything was fine here, except for the fact that Enjolras wasn't in a very pleasant mood."

Grantaire couldn't help, but smile internally. "Did he say what was wrong?"

Joly shook his head. "No. I just hope today is better for him."

"I'm sure it will." Grantaire told his best friend. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to get this filled out before classes start."

Joly nodded before he went off to find Bossuet and Musichetta. Now that he was alone, Grantaire let the smile form on his face. He walked into all of the classrooms of his teachers for his assignments, going to Enjolras's last.

When he knocked on the door, the first thing he noticed was the way Enjolras' eyes lit up when he saw him and the small smile that appeared on his face. He also didn't fail to notice the student, sitting at a desk in the front, finishing up a test. Enjolras signaled for him to come in, but be quiet. Grantaire walked in and handed Enjolras the slip. When Enjolras handed it back, along with the work that he had missed, Grantaire didn't fail to notice the small note attached to it.

_Glad to see your back. You have no idea how much I missed your face. ;) – Enjolras_

Grantaire smiled at him before leaving the room.

When he came in during free period, Grantaire was met with a surprise. The door was barely shut before Enjolras cupped Grantaire's face and kissed him. Grantaire, in turn, wrapped his arms around his waist as he returned the kiss.

They were both breathing heavily when they pulled away from each other. They smiled at each other.

"Are you sure?" Grantaire said.

Enjolras nodded. "Yes, I am sure. I want this. I want you. The consequences be damned. I just need to be with you."

Grantaire's smile grew wider as he pulled Enjolras back down to his lips, and thus, beginning their secret, but forbidden relationship.

***

_Three months later…._

It was close to the end of February, and their relationship was just as secret as ever. No one knew, except for Caterina and Stan. They both found it excruciating that the only time that they could touch or kiss the other was during free period. Grantaire snuck over to Enjolras' apartment every couple of nights, so they could have dinner together. After three months, they knew that there was no denying that there was more than just attraction, there was love, but neither of them had admitted to it. And despite, Grantaire going to Enjolras' apartment, they hadn’t approached the subject of sex since that night back in August.

They relationship was as perfect as it was going to get while shrouded in secrecy, but Grantaire had an unspoken fear. Something that scared him more than their relationship being found out.

He was absolutely terrified of losing Enjolras. If he lost Enjolras, he had no idea what he would do. He didn't want to admit to having that fear, so he hid it from Enjolras. And he has done a good job of keeping that fear from Enjolras, but now, Grantaire knew that that fear was going to be found out.

Enjolras announced that for next two weeks as they talked about the history of Greece, a guest speaker would be in the class. One of his friends from college, Feuilly. Feuilly had been traveling through Greece for the last two years, and he was going to talk to the class about his experience.

Grantaire watched as Enjolras introduced Feuilly to the class. The look that was usually saved for Grantaire, plastered all over his face. Grantaire could feel his blood boil with jealousy and fear as he watched the two of them interact.

As Feuilly began to talk about his adventures in Greece and get to know the class that he'd be overseeing for two weeks, Grantaire watched Enjolras as he played with a pencil. Watching as the proud smile and admiration didn't leave his face. Thoughts of Enjolras leaving him for the red haired, green eyed man, with a faint Irish accent, who could give him everything plaguing his mind.

_Snap!_

Grantaire looked down at the pencil in his hand. He had snapped it in two. He hadn't even realized that he had been holding it that tightly in his hand. He caught Enjolras looking at him, skeptically, before he could act like everything was fine. He noticed how Enjolras would look over at him every couple of minutes for the rest of the class period.

When Feuilly was done speaking, he and Enjolras switched places.

"Okay, so for tonight's assignment, I want all of you to write a two paragraph reflection on what you learned from Feuilly today. This will be your assignment every day that he's here until next Tuesday when we start our Greek gods and goddesses group project." Enjolras explained. The class perked up when they heard the word "group". "I don't want you guys to get too excited, Feuilly and I will be picking the groups for the project." The class groaned causing Enjolras to chuckle.

The bell rang just as Enjolras had stopped speaking. The class started gathering up their things and saying goodbye to both Enjolras and Feuilly.

"Grantaire, can I talk to you for a second?" Enjolras asked him as he walked passed. Feuilly gathered his things before walking out of the classroom.

"Yes, Mr. E?" Grantaire said, turning to look at him.

Enjolras noticed that Grantaire could barely look at him, and that stung. He crossed his arms. "Could you act a little less obvious?"

"I don’t know what you're talking about." Grantaire said, trying to play nonchalant as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Don't play with me, Grantaire. You were looking at Feuilly like you wanted to murder him." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire shrugged. "Well, maybe, I wouldn't have had to, had you not been looking at him like he hung the damn stars in the fucking sky."

"Are you serious? Grantaire, come on."

"Yes, I'm serious." Grantaire told him. "I'm the one you're supposed to be with, remember?"

"And you are!" Enjolras whisper-yelled at him. "He's my friend, Grantaire. That's it."

"It doesn't matter." Grantaire told him as he turned to walk out.

Enjolras had to do everything from screaming in frustration as Grantaire walked away from him.

***

That night, Grantaire sat the dinner table with his mother as he explained to her what had happened that day during world history. Caterina looked at her son with sympathy as he put a forkful of pasta in his mouth.

"So, you just left? In the middle of the conversation?" Caterina asked. "The least you could do is hear him out. Grantaire, I was in the room with him for 10 minutes tops the night of conferences, and just from that short amount of time, I could tell that he loved you. He flat out told me that he wasn’t ashamed of his feelings for you."

"He may love me, mom, but he still can't be seen in public with me. At least, not until after May 19th." Grantaire told him. "Our relationship is a secret, mom. He's 24. A secret relationship can't be what he wants."

"Maybe not, but he wants _you._ Do you really believe that he would spend the last six months doing everything he possibly could to spend time with you? Let you come in during your free period for "extra credit"? Kiss you right after I told him that I was okay with it? Grantaire, you're the one that he wants, not some red-haired, faint Irish accent guy." Caterina told him, but when Grantaire refused to look at her, she knew what was really up. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"Know what?"

"How terrified you are of losing him. He doesn't know, does he?"

Grantaire looked at her in disbelief. "Of course not!. Do you know what that means if I do? I come off as a clingy, whiny 18-year old, and that's bad."

"Why does it have to be bad?" Caterina asked. "You're scared of losing him, explain why. You've only ever let me, your friends, and Stan in before. Enjolras is the first person that you've ever allowed yourself to want like this. The first person that you've ever fallen in love with. It understandable why you’re terrified of losing him."

Grantaire thought about what she had said before saying. "But the way he looked at him, mom. It was the way he looks at me."

"Are you sure? Maybe you're just so scared of losing him that you saw something that wasn't there." Caterina said.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm going to bed." Grantaire told him.

Grantaire stood up from the table to put his plate in the sink. As he walked by his mother, he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Caterina said.

"Goodnight, mom."

Grantaire walked out of the kitchen to his bedroom. He started getting ready for bed when he heard his phone buzz. He walked to the bed where his phone was waiting for him.

_Seven text messages from Love <3_

_Three missed calls from Love <3_

Grantaire unlocked his phone to look at the messages. Most of them were just Enjolras begging Grantaire to talk to him, but Grantaire ignored them. He locked his phone again before placing it on the bedside table. He crawled into bed, pulling the covers over his body. His phone buzzed with another text. Grantaire looked at it.

_**Love <3 (9:55 P.M.): You have to believe me when I say that Feuilly is only my friend. Just my friend.** _

_**Grantaire (9:56 P.M.): I would believe you, if you hadn't looked at him the way you had.** _

_**Love <3 (9:56 P.M.): What do I have to do to prove it you?** _

_**Grantaire (9:57 P.M.): I don't know.** _

Grantaire thought about adding that he didn't think that there was anything that Enjolras could do to make it right, but he didn't. He just sent the text before he locked his phone again and put it on 'do not disturb'. Grantaire placed it back on the bedside table. He turned out the light and rolled over on to his side to try to sleep, but he doubted that sleep would come.

***

Over the course of the next week, Grantaire avoided Enjolras like he was the plague. He didn’t want to see him, and he most certainly didn't want to talk to him. Granted, that's was little hard when he saw him every day and every bone in his body is screaming to be near him. He was well aware of the pain that he was inflicting on Enjolras. It was clear that he hadn’t been sleeping, but he just couldn't talk to him, knowing that his most well-kept secret would be exposed.

Enjolras, on the other hand, was completely heartbroken. He loved Grantaire. How could Grantaire not see that? Feuilly was his friend, and that's it. Grantaire was who he wanted to be with. The only person that he wanted to be with. He just wanted a chance to talk to him, but Grantaire wouldn't even look at him. He had even stopped coming in during free period.

Finally, on Friday, Grantaire was forced to talk to him.

Feuilly was standing in front of the world history class. Enjolras was sitting behind his desk with a coffee mug in his hand, watching Feuilly as he spoke. He didn't dare look in Grantaire's direction. Grantaire was staring at the window. That is, until he heard a piece of information about the art in Athens that he knew was wrong.

Grantaire raised his hand and waited to be called on. Feuilly looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Feuilly asked.

"The order for periodic times in Ancient Greece. It was Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. Not Archaic, Geometric, Classical, and Hellenistic."

"No, I'm pretty sure that I had it right the first time." 

Grantaire crossed his arms. "I've spent years of my life studying art and holding a paint brush in my hand. I am going to be an art major in college for Christ's sake. I think I know what I'm talking about."

"And so do I, I've spent the last two years of my life traveling around in Greece. I'm fairly certain that this is order."

"Oh, so you're saying that the year that I spent taking classes with a literal Greek archeologist and art historian, who was born and raised in Greece, lead me to believe that almost every person who has ever studied Ancient Greece had it wrong. Please." Grantaire scoffed.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Grantaire rolled his eyes. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Look it up, I _dare_ you."

"ENOUGH!" Enjolras yelled. "Grantaire. In the hall. Right now." He stood up and pointed to the door.

"Why? All I'm saying is that he's wrong." Grantaire told Enjolras.

"Grantaire! Right now!" Enjolras demanded, not in the mood to play a game.

Grantaire stood up and walked out of the room. His classmates watching him as he left the room. Enjolras turned to Jehan and asked him to look up the correct answer to put a stop on the pointless argument. He wanted the answer when he returned. He also apologized to Feuilly before following Grantaire out and shutting the door.

Grantaire had walked down to the entrance of the school. He was standing against the wall when Enjolras approached. They glared at each other before Enjolras spoke.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Enjolras whisper-yelled at him. "You had no right to do that."

"I had every right. I was correcting what he said. Which is, well, wrong, by the way." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras sighed in frustration. "I don't care about who's right or wrong, Grantaire. The only thing I care about is the fact that you had to turn it in to a whole one-upmanship."

"Right because I wouldn't want to hurt your boyfriend's feelings." Grantaire's voice dripped with anger and sarcasm.

Enjolras put his head in his hands in frustration. "For the thousandth time, he's not my boyfriend. You are!"

"What. Ever!" Grantaire rolled his eyes.

"That's it!" Enjolras whisper-yelled. "You are coming to my classroom after school, so we can talk about this once and for all."

"Fine!" Grantaire glared at him before walking away to go back to the classroom. Enjolras following him.

When they got back in the classroom, all the students and Feuilly, were watching them. Jehan raised his hand. Enjolras called on him.

"It was Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. Grantaire was right." Jehan said.

Grantaire didn't have it in him to feel the satisfaction of being right as he made his way back to his seat. All he wanted to do was cry. If he hadn't been losing Enjolras before, he certainly was now.

"Thank you, Jehan. Now, that that's settled. Feuilly, if you please." Enjolras said as he walked back to his desk.

When the bell rang, Grantaire was the first one out the door. As he walked down the hallway, his friends tried to talk to him about what had happened, but Grantaire didn't want to talk to them. He just wanted to get to the art classroom, and spend the next twenty minutes, spattering paint over an empty canvas until his anger had calmed.

And prepare for the blow that he knew was coming.

***

After school, once making sure that everyone was gone, except for Enjolras, Grantaire made his way to the world history classroom. When he arrived, Enjolras was cleaning off the whiteboard. Grantaire threw his backpack off his shoulders and to the side, he crossed his arms.

"I'm here. You wanted to talk. Talk." Grantaire said.

Enjolras turned from the whiteboard. He set down the rag he was using before walking to close the door. When the door was closed, he turned to Grantaire, and said. "What is your problem with Feuilly?"

"My problem is not Feuilly." Grantaire told him.

"Really? Because it sure as hell seems like it is. He's my friend, Grantaire. _My platonic friend._ How much clearer do you want me to make that?" Enjolras told him as he walked towards him.

"But it would be so much easier with him, right?" Grantaire asked. Enjolras looked at him, but didn't say anything. "You can't tell me that you haven't thought about it!"

"I have, but-" Enjolras started.

Grantaire cut him off. "Then, you should just leave with Feuilly. Let him take you wherever it is that he's headed next."

"Why would you think that I would want-" Enjolras started, but Grantaire cut him off again.

"Why wouldn't you?!" Grantaire cried. His voice breaking. "He's handsome, and he's smart. He's funny."

"Grantaire-" Enjolras reached from Grantaire, but Grantaire backed away.

"He's successful. Not to mention that he agrees with your need to save the world or that you could actually be seen in public with him. And last, but not least, he's your age. I-I can't compete with that." Grantaire continued to list off the reasons why Feuilly would be the better option.

Enjolras looked taken aback. "Nobody is asking you, too!"

"No, but it's true. You two even look like the epitome of a couple." Grantaire said, looking away from Enjolras. Fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"Grantaire." Enjolras said, softly. "Please, look at me." Grantaire looked at him. "What is this really about because I know that I feel nothing, but friendship and brotherhood for Feuilly?" Grantaire looked away from him. "And I know that because my heart is already in love with someone else. You. I love you." Grantaire closed his eyes. Enjolras reached for his hand and laced their fingers together. "So, please, my love, tell me what this is really about?"

A tear slipped from Grantaire's eye when he spoke. "I don't want to lose you. I am so fucking terrified of losing you, and I know that that makes me sound immature, clingy, and whiny, but it's true. I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you. I couldn't survive losing you."

Enjolras cupped Grantaire's face with his hands. "You're not going to lose me, ever. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. I only want to be with you."

Tears were streaming down Grantaire's face as he wrapped his arms tightly around Enjolras. Enjolras ran his fingers through his hair as he did his best to soothe him. Grantaire eventually let go of Enjolras, so that he could kiss him. They kissed for a long time before pulling apart for air.

"Come on, I'll take you home." Enjolras kissed his forehead before he walked to his desk to grab his laptop bag with his papers as Grantaire grabbed his backpack.

They laced their fingers together as they walked out of the classroom. Enjolras quickly locked it up before they walked out of the school. They let go of each other's hands as they got in the car, but once they were out on the streets, Enjolras' hand found Grantaire's again. He rubbed the palm of Grantaire's hand with his thumb the whole way to Grantaire's house.

***

When Enjolras pulled up in front of Grantaire's house, he noticed how quiet Grantaire had become. He unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned to look at Grantaire, who was looking out the window.

"You were quiet the whole way home. What's on your mind?"

Grantaire sighed as he turned from the window. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"About?"

"That first night." Grantaire looked at Enjolras.

Enjolras sighed, but didn't take his hand from Grantaire's. "What about that night?"

"If you had known that it was going to be this complicated, would you have even spoken to me that night?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras took a deep breath before answering. He started rubbing his thumb over Grantaire's hand again. "I've thought about it. If I had come in after your shift was done or sat at a different table or if I had not even gone in at all, for that matter. Then, you'd just be some attractive man, who sits in the row next to the window."

"With that said, do you regret it?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras sighed. He moved the hand that wasn't entangled with Grantaire's to cup his cheek. "The only thing that I regret is that I'm your teacher, but never in a million years, will I ever regret talking to you that night. Holding you. Kissing you. Sleeping with you. I'll never regret that for as long as I live."

Grantaire smiled a small smile before leaning forward, Enjolras following. Their foreheads met before their lips did. They pressed their lips to each other's in passionate kisses before Enjolras deepened the kiss by licking Grantaire's lips with his tongue, awaiting entry. Grantaire opened his mouth, allowing Enjolras to taste his mouth. Enjolras, eventually, pulled away. Wanting the kiss to continue, but knowing that it couldn't.

"If we don't stop now, we won't ever stop."

"We've fought this for so long, so what if I don't want to stop?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras's smile was playful as he leaned into him. "Then, I wouldn't stop because I don't want to stop either. I want to keep kissing you. I want to hold your hand. I want to touch and caress every part of your skin until I've memorized every scar, cut, and bruise. I want to feel your bare skin against mine." He whispered into Grantaire's ear.

They looked at each with heated gazes before their mouths were on each other's again. Enjolras's hands buried themselves in Grantaire's hair as Grantaire tried to pull Enjolras closer as they kiss passionately and desperately. When Enjolras pulled away from Grantaire's lips in order to start kissing down his neck, Grantaire moans were heavenly.

"Enjolras, please." Grantaire pulled away to say when their lips met each other's again.

"What do you want?"

"You. I _want_ you. I need you." Grantaire pleaded.

Enjolras nodded before he turned to start the car again to drive to his apartment.

***

Enjolras pulled the car into a parking spot outside of his apartment building. They both got out the car, leaving their bags inside of the car as they made their way inside of the building. Enjolras pushed the up button on the elevator. It was very hard not to touch each other as they waited for the elevator. The moment that the door was open and they were both inside, Enjolras hit the seventh floor button before he turned to Grantaire. He backed Grantaire up against the wall before he pressed his lips against Grantaire's.

They made out against the elevator walls during the ride up to Enjolras' floor. They were so focused on each other that they almost didn't hear the elevator bell signaling that they were on the right floor. Enjolras grabbed Grantaire's hand as he led him to his apartment. Enjolras pulled his keys from his pocket to unlock the door. As he worked to unlock the door, Grantaire wrapped his arms around his waist and started kissing and nipping at his neck.

"God, you're going to be the death of me." Enjolras told him as he got the door open. He turned Grantaire around to push him, gently, inside of the apartment and against the apartment door.

Their lips connected again. Enjolras swiped his tongue against Grantaire's lips to allow his tongue inside of his mouth. Grantaire moaned inside of Enjolras' mouth. He pulled Enjolras' body as close to his as he could. Enjolras could feel how hard Grantaire was against his thigh as he kissed Grantaire's throat causing him to pull away. Grantaire chased Enjolras' mouth.

"Grantaire. Stop. Wait. We shouldn't do this." Enjolras told him, breathing heavily.

Grantaire groaned. "Please. You want this. I know, you do."

"Of course, I want this, but if someone finds out." Enjolras told him.

"No one is going to find out. We've been careful, we just need to continue being careful. Enjolras, you said it yourself, this apartment is the one place that we don't have to hide."

"I know, I did, but-"

"But nothing. You want this, I want this. We've spent the last six months fighting it, so let's stop fighting it." Grantaire told him. His hand clutched in the collar of Enjolras' shirt. "I realize that I didn't say anything earlier, but I love you, too, Enjolras. God, I love you, so much. That's why I want this."

Enjolras looked at Grantaire, and saw nothing, but love and adoration in his eyes. He cupped Grantaire's face. "I love you, so fucking much." He pressed his lips to Grantaire's in a hard kiss.

Grantaire's fingers found the knot in Enjolras' tie to untie it. He then started unbuttoning Enjolras' shirt once the tie was gone. He pushed the shirt off of Enjolras' shoulders, and Enjolras threw it to the floor. Grantaire's fingers raked over Enjolras' chest.

"You're so fucking beautiful." Grantaire told him as he started kissing down his chest. Enjolras moaned when Grantaire pulled a nipple into his mouth. He then moved up to Enjolras' throat and sucked a bruise into it.

Enjolras pulled the beanie from Grantaire's head before pushing the green button down from his shoulders and pulled the black undershirt off of his body. They pulled away from each other to just look at the other. Grantaire leaned up to put his hand on Enjolras' cheek. They smiled at each other before Grantaire pressed another kiss to Enjolras' lips.

Enjolras started to walk them toward to the couch. He lowered them to the couch cushions. They continue kissing as Grantaire's fingers find Enjolras' belt buckle. Grantaire got Enjolras' pants unbuckled and started pushing them down his legs. Enjolras threw them the rest of the way off.

"Wait before we do this. I need to get something from the bedroom." Enjolras told him. He removed himself from Grantaire to run to his bedroom to get the lube and a condom. When he came back, he threw them on the floor as he attached his lips back to Grantaire's. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Grantaire shrugged. "The only thing that I've been able to think about since that night is you being inside of me again."

"If that's what you want, then I'll do it. Lay down." Enjolras told him.

Enjolras' fingers went to Grantaire's jeans to unbutton them, and pull them from his body, followed by his boxers. Grantaire pulled himself further up the couch to give Enjolras more room. Enjolras leaned down to kiss him before slowly making his way down Grantaire's chest towards his hardened cock.

Enjolras wrapped his mouth around the tip of the cock before taking it in his mouth, inch by inch. Grantaire moaned above him. Grantaire's fingers found their way to Enjolras' curls as he started to bob his head. Enjolras's tongue swiped up the vein and swirled around the tip. Grantaire was writhing beneath him causing Enjolras to hold his hips down as he sucked him off. Grantaire pulled himself up to rest on one of his forearms as he watched Enjolras's head bob on his cock. Enjolras looked up at Grantaire, his eyes black with lust. Grantaire moaned in pleasure at the sight.

As he continued to suck, Enjolras' hand searched for the bottle of lube next to the couch. He squeezed some on his fingers. Enjolras slowly inched his finger closer towards Grantaire's hole before he pushed it inside. Grantaire let out a scream. Enjolras moved his finger around as he continued to suck Grantaire's cock.

"Enjolras, please." Grantaire moaned. "I can feel it."

Enjolras continued with his movements until he could feel Grantaire pulling on his hair, needing to come. He moved his mouth to the tip to suck at it while the hand that wasn't in Grantaire's ass, stroked Grantaire's cock. It was less than a minute before Grantaire's cum filled Enjolras' mouth. Enjolras took in every inch of cum before he pulled off of his lover's cock.

He leaned up to be hover over Grantaire again, who was looking at him with dazed eyes. "How was that, my love?"

"Amazing." Grantaire hummed out.

"Oh, no. You can't be tired, yet. I'm just getting started." He pressed a chaste kiss to Grantaire's mouth before he pulled out his finger to add more lube. Enjolras pushed back in with both of his fingers. Grantaire's eyes shot wide before he pulled Enjolras towards him. He pressed his lips against Enjolras' before his mouth trailed to his throat. He sucked another bruise into Enjolras' skin as he continued to be stretched.

Enjolras entered a third finger alongside the other two. He scissored all three of them inside of Grantaire as they made out.

"God, fuck. More, Enjolras. Please, more." Grantaire begged as his fingers scratched at the couch cushions. Enjolras pushed his fingers deeper into Grantaire. "Oh, fuck, yes."

Enjolras noticed how quick Grantaire was becoming hard again. "Are you ready, my love?"

Grantaire nodded, enthusiastically. "Yes, please. Enough with your fingers. I want your cock inside of me."

"Ask and you shall receive, my sweet." Enjolras pressed a kiss to Grantaire's forehead. He pulled out his fingers. He finished removing his boxers before he opened up the condom. He rolled it over his cock before adding lube. Enjolras stood on his knees, lining up his cock with Grantaire's entrance before slowly pushing in. Grantaire sighed as he felt Enjolras' cock enter him.

"Fuck." Grantaire said, pulling Enjolras over him. He wrapped his legs around Enjolras' waist as his lover pushed himself deeper. "Oh, God, fuck."

Enjolras looked Grantaire in the eye, asking for his permission to start moving. When Grantaire nodded, Enjolras started thrusting and Grantaire moaned as his lover began to move.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this to happen again." Grantaire said, wrapping his arms around Enjolras' neck.

"Oh, I think I do because I've waited just as long."

Grantaire smiled at him as his hand moved to cup his cheek. He brought Enjolras' head down to kiss him. "God, it feels so good." He said, when Enjolras pulled away.

"You feel so wonderful wrapped around my cock, darling. You're so fucking tight. I love it." Enjolras said as he started to pick up the place a little bit more.

"Okay, enough talking. Just fuck me. Please, just fuck me, baby." Grantaire told him.  

They pressed their lips against each other's again before Enjolras got right to work in giving his love the best sex he could. He didn't let up his thrusts. He would go slow and smooth every before changing it too hard and rough thrusts. He could feel Grantaire's nails digging into his back as he thrusted deeper and more shallow. Grantaire's moans, screams, and whimpers were like music to his ears. It had been six months too long of waiting to have Grantaire underneath him again.

"Oh, Enjolras. Please, harder. I need you go deeper and faster." Grantaire begged.

Enjolras changed his pace to harder, deeper, and faster thrusts. The only sounds that could be heard in the living room were Grantaire's moans and whimpers and Enjolras' groans. The power of his thrusts forcing Grantaire to grip the sides of the couch, Enjolras heard something fall off the table that was off to the side.

"Yes! Oh, yes! Enjolras!" Grantaire screamed with his eyes closed. "Fuck me. Please, just give it all you got. Just don't fucking stop! It feels so good!"

Enjolras moved Grantaire's legs underneath his armpits and his hands to Grantaire's hips as he lifted them off the couch. He started pounding into Grantaire. Pulling all the way out before driving back in hard and deep. Grantaire's knuckles were white as he gripped the back of the couch. Their screams of pleasure were the only things filling the room that there was no doubt in Enjolras' mind that his neighbors knew exactly what was going on.

"Fuck, love. You feel so good." Enjolras told him. He continued his movements, but he could feel his orgasm coming.

"Enjolras! I can feel it! I'm going to come." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras wrapped his hand around Grantaire's cock as he continued with his powerful thrusts. He was going to make sure that the two of them reached their orgasm together, not a couple of seconds behind the other.

And he got his wish because just as he was emptying into the condom, Grantaire's cum came spewing all over his hand and their chests. Grantaire was sighing as Enjolras continued with his movements to ride them through their orgasms. They were both dripping in sweat and breathing rapidly.

When they were done, Enjolras slowly pulled out of Grantaire. The condom came off, he tied it off before throwing it on the floor to be thrown away later. He collapsed on top of Grantaire.

"Fuck." Grantaire said, wrapping his arms around Enjolras as he laid on his chest.

"Give me at least a half an hour before we even start to think of round two." Enjolras told him. Grantaire chuckled. His fingers ran through Enjolras' sweaty blonde curls. Enjolras looked up at Grantaire. "How do you feel?"

" _So_. _Fucking. Satisfied_." Grantaire told him. "Definitely worth the six months of pent up sexual tension."

Enjolras nodded. "I forgot how good sex could be."

Grantaire smiled, lazily. "Same."

"I just hope I didn't hurt you." Enjolras said, his voice drenched in concern.

"If you did, I don't care. It was the best sex that I've ever had." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras took what strength he had to lift himself up to kiss Grantaire. They made out lazily on the couch as they came down from the high. Grantaire reveled in everything that had happened that day. He wasn't losing Enjolras to Feuilly, they loved each other, and they had had sex. He had been in such a sour mood that morning, but here, in Enjolras' apartment, with his boyfriend lying on top of him as they laid on the couch drenched in the afterglow. It was perfect.

"Grantaire?" Enjolras asked.

"Hmm?" Grantaire said, with his eyes closed.

"I love you." He pressed a kiss to his chest.

Grantaire smiled as he pressed his lips to the top of Enjolras' head. "I love you, too."

"Do you want to stay tonight? We could make a weekend out of it. Your mother knowing where you are, of course." Enjolras asked.

"Yeah, I do. Do you want to sit up, so I can find my phone?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras sat up before helping Grantaire sit up, as well. Grantaire reached for his jeans to grab his phone from his pocket. He sent a quick text to his mother.

_**Grantaire (5:50 P.M.): Hey, mom! Just thought I'd let you know that I worked it out with Enjolras. I'll be staying at his place this weekend. I love you!** _

A text from his mother was coming in seconds later, Grantaire looked at it as he felt Enjolras press tiny, barely there kisses to his shoulders and neck.

_**Mama (5:51 P.M.): That's so great, sweetheart. I told you everything would work out. That's perfectly fine with me. Stay safe! Use protection! Tell Enjolras I say hi! I love you!** _

Grantaire rolled his eyes at his mother as he turned his phone off and threw it on the coffee table. He turned back to Enjolras, who was looking at him with sparkling eyes, filled with love. Grantaire smiled at him before leaning over to kiss him.

"My mom is fine with it. She also says hi." Grantaire said, resting his head on Enjolras' chest. "She also told us to wear protection."

Enjolras chuckled as his fingers ran over Grantaire's skin. "Of course."

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Grantaire pulled away from him. He grabbed Enjolras's hand, and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry about being stupid this week. I just…" Grantaire gathered his thoughts. "I should have trusted you, but Feuilly is…"

"Just a friend. Only a friend. And you're right, you should have trusted me, but I get it. I do. If the situation was reversed, I would have acted the same way." Enjolras admitted.

"Really?" Grantaire raised an eyebrow.

Enjolras nodded. "Yeah. Grantaire, I love you, and just like you are afraid of losing me, I'm afraid of losing you. I have never felt more envious in my entire life than what I did when Dylan was flirting with you. I felt my heart break every time I saw him standing next to you because I knew there was a chance that I could lose you to him. Especially since I knew that I couldn't be with you." Enjolras told him. "So, I get it, but just like I know that Dylan isn't a threat, Feuilly isn't either. Of all the men that are in this town, I only see and am so deeply in love with one."

Grantaire blushed bright red before kissing Enjolras again. "I love you."

"I know."

They cuddled on the couch for a few more minutes before Enjolras suggested that they move to his bedroom. Grantaire stood up first. Enjolras grabbed the lube and used condom to throw it away before he led Grantaire to his bedroom. They crawled under the covers. Grantaire laid his head on Enjolras' chest, his lover's arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers running through his curls.

"I actually haven't been in this room for anything other than clothes since the night we met." Enjolras admitted to him.

Grantaire did his best to look up at Enjolras. "Really?" He felt Enjolras nod his head. "Then, where have you been sleeping?"

"The other bedroom or the couch. The memory of that night was too strong in here that I couldn't do it." Enjolras told him.

"And now?"

"And now, everything is perfect." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire smiled as he made shapes on Enjolras' chest. "You know we could christen the bed, again. Make the memory even stronger." Enjolras shook his head. He pressed a kiss to Grantaire's curls. His hand continued to run down Grantaire's shoulder causing Grantaire to shiver. His lover pulled out of his arms to straddle his waist. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" Grantaire asked as his hands ran down the smooth chiseled muscle of Enjolras' chest before playing with his nipples.

"Maybe once or twice." Enjolras quipped as he bit back a moan.

"Well, count this as a third time." Grantaire leaned down to kiss his jaw. He worshipped Enjolras' body as his boyfriend started to moan. Grantaire grinned as he took a nipple into his mouth. He started sucking and nipping at it while he fiddled with the other. Enjolras was keening underneath him. Grantaire pulled away from the nipple to give the same attention to other. When both nipples were red and taut, Grantaire looked up at Enjolras before grinning, wolfishly.

Enjolras took Grantaire's distraction as a chance to grab his wrists and flip them. He pinned Grantaire to the bed, holding his hands above his head. "Did I ever tell you that you're going to be the death of me?"

"Maybe once or twice." Grantaire threw the line back at Enjolras.

Enjolras shook his head at his boyfriend's ridiculousness before he kissed him. Grantaire accepted the kiss as he pulled his wrists free from Enjolras' grip. They made out on the bed before Grantaire found the bottle of lube, and handing it to Enjolras. Enjolras leaned over to the dresser drawer to pull out a condom before he prepped Grantaire again.

Following the second round of sex, they promptly fell asleep in each other's arms.

***

Grantaire opened his eyes. He glanced at the clock with bright red numbers. It told him that it was _5:14 A.M._ Grantaire groaned as he buried his head in his pillow again before he realized this wasn't his room. The sheets didn't smell like him. Instead they smelled of sex, sweat, and…was that sandalwood? Enjolras' scent. Grantaire smiled before rolling over. He could see Enjolras sleeping on his stomach. The red sheets barely covering his body below his waist.

He placed a hand on Enjolras's back, lightly trailing his fingers, up and down. Grantaire felt Enjolras sigh before a smile appeared on his face, but he hadn't opened his eyes.

"You didn't leave this time." Enjolras said.

Grantaire chuckled, lightly. "Why would I?"

"You left last time."

"Last time, I was an idiot. This time, I'm a man in love."

Enjolras opened his eyes before rolling over onto his back. "That was cheesy."

Grantaire rolled his eyes as he moved closer to Enjolras. "Who cares?" He kissed Enjolras, but before they could proceed any further, Enjolras laid a hand on his shoulder to push him away.

"We should probably talk about this."

"No, no talking. Just sex. Sex is more important." Grantaire said as he kissed him again.

His hand started moving south down Enjolras' chest. The hand that wasn't moving its way towards Enjolras' cock reached for one of his love's hands. With his free hand, Grantaire started playing with Enjolras' fingers. Intrigued as to where this was going, Enjolras watched with an intense gaze. Grantaire brought Enjolras' fingers to his lips to kiss each one before he brought them one by one into his mouth to suck on the tip. His other hand wrapped around Enjolras' cock, which Enjolras let out a gasp at. Grantaire started stroking it causing Enjolras to close his eyes and moan. A sound Grantaire will never tire of hearing.

Grantaire took Enjolras' pointer finger out of his mouth to look at him. "Are you ready for round three?" He asked with a lustful gaze. Enjolras nodded, but before he could roll over, Grantaire pressed a hand against his chest. "Nope. I want to ride you. If that's okay?"

"More than okay."

Grantaire rolled over to dig a condom out of the box, but realized that somewhere in the middle of night, the bottle of lube had been misplaced. He found it, underneath the bed. Grantaire crawled back on the bed and straddled Enjolras. He handed the lube to Enjolras. Enjolras squeezed some lube onto his fingers before he pushed a finger inside of Grantaire, who shivered.

"You okay?" Enjolras asked as he moved his finger inside of Grantaire, who nodded.

Once, Grantaire was prepped and ready to go, he opened up the condom wrapper. He gently rolled it on to his love's rock hard cock. God, he would never tire of the sight of Enjolras' cock, red and angry as it curved against his body. Grantaire felt pride well up in his chest knowing that he would be the only person who would see Enjolras naked like this.

Grantaire situated himself, he grabbed Enjolras' cock to line it up with his entrance before slowly sinking down on it. He let out a moan as Enjolras let out a sigh. Once, Grantaire was fully seated, he rolled forward. The cock moved to a different, but perfect angle. Grantaire gasped as his eyes slipped closed, Enjolras' rested his hands on Grantaire's thighs, who would never tire of feeling Grantaire's warmth wrapped around him.

"Whenever you're ready, my darling boy." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire placed his hands on Enjolras' chest as he lifted up almost completely off before sliding back down. Enjolras' cock had felt amazing when he had been on his back, but this way, it was phenomenal. It still stretched him so wonderfully, but this way, Grantaire controlled the pace. How fast to go. How deep his lover's cock went. Riding Enjolras had just become his new favorite thing.

"God, baby, you feel so good." Grantaire said as he started moving, a little bit faster. Enjolras was staying still, letting Grantaire control it, but he would sigh every time that Grantaire came back down. He was still trying to get a sense of the pace that Grantaire was setting before he started thrusting up to meet Grantaire.

Grantaire's pace started out slow, but gradually turned faster. When he was at medium speed, he nodded for Enjolras to start moving. Enjolras' hands moved from his thighs to his waist as he started thrusting forward to meet Grantaire as he came down. As he continued to speed up, Enjolras followed.

"Come on, baby, faster. Please, faster." Grantaire said. He could feel his thighs burning as he moved, but he didn't care. Their paces matched each other's as they fucked. Grantaire's hands hadn't moved from where they were planted. "Harder, baby. Oh, please, harder."

Enjolras grabbed Grantaire's arms and flipped them. Grantaire's legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into him. Grantaire reached for the headboard.

"Shit, yes. Keep going. Please! Yes!" Grantaire's head was thrown back. Enjolras' hands stayed on Grantaire's hips, pinning them to the bed.

Enjolras bit his bottom lip as he continued with his movements. Grantaire looked absolutely debauched underneath him, and they weren't even through yet. Enjolras removed one of Grantaire's legs from his waist to move it to his shoulder. Grantaire screamed at the new angle.

"YES! Baby! Fuck me!" Grantaire said.

The slap of their skin was music to Enjolras' ears. They still had today and Sunday, but come Monday, it was going to be torture, sitting in a classroom, seeing Grantaire, and not being able to touch him after spending a weekend balls deep inside of him.

"Come on, love. Come for me! I know, you can." Enjolras told him.

"Touch me, baby, touch me! I can feel it, but I need you to touch me." Grantaire said. His hands had moved from the headboard to the sheets of the bed. His knuckled starch white against the blood red sheets. "Please, baby. PLEASE! Fuck me."

Enjolras let Grantaire's leg fall back to his waist as he wrapped around his lover's cock. He moved in time with his thrusts until Grantaire was screaming and cum was spewing from his cock onto both of their chests. Enjolras followed a few seconds later, spilling into the condom. Grantaire winced at the overstimulation, but Enjolras quickly soothed him with a kiss to the lips.

Once, they were threw, Enjolras slowly pulled out of Grantaire. He removed the condom, got off of the bed, tied it off, and threw it away in the bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in warm water. When Enjolras came back, Grantaire was still breathing rapidly.

Enjolras sat down next to him and started cleaning Grantaire off. "How was that?"

"Breathtaking, heart-stopping, mind-blowing. Best round. Most powerful orgasm, yet. Can I just ask where did you learn to be good at this?" Grantaire asked. He pawed at Enjolras lazily.

"I have no idea. I never really had a serious relationship before this, so I guess, beginner's luck?" Enjolras said.

"I'll take it because wow!" Grantaire told him. "I'm never letting you go, purely for the sex alone."

Enjolras finished wiping Grantaire of cum and lube before he cleaned himself up. He threw the washcloth in the direction of the bathroom before crawling back in the bed next to Grantaire. "It most certainly was an enjoyable way to wake up."

Grantaire moved to straddle Enjolras's waist. He grabbed his hands and laced their hands together. "'Jolras, I know that we've talked about boundaries and all that already, sexual ones included, but I have one thing that I need you to promise me."

Enjolras looked at Grantaire, curious. "Okay, love."

Grantaire brought Enjolras' hand up to kiss the back of it. "Promise me that we will always be completely honest with each other. No keeping secrets. Nothing. If something is bothering one of us, we talk about it. I'm not willing to lose this because we didn't talk about something."

"I'm not either. And I promise, my darling boy."

Grantaire leaned forward to kiss Enjolras before pulling away from him. "Now, as wonderful as it was to wake up like we did, it was too early and I'm still tired." Grantaire told him as he climbed off of him and cuddled into his love.

Enjolras giggled. He ran his fingers through Grantaire's hair. "Sleep than, my love. I'll be here when you wake up."

Grantaire rested his head on Enjolras' shoulder with his arms wrapped around his waist. He closed his eyes as Enjolras continued to run his fingers through his hair. Enjolras, eventually, found himself falling asleep again to the relaxing sound of Grantaire's breathing.

***

They didn't wake up again until it was well into the afternoon. Enjolras looked at the clock to see that it was _12:45 P.M._ Grantaire was still asleep beside him, and Enjolras couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face when his boyfriend tightened his grip on him. His boyfriend was like an octopus. Enjolras pressed a soft kiss to Grantaire's forehead. It was another 10 minutes before Grantaire showed any signs of life.

"I'm hungry." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras laughed. He threw the covers off of his body before going to get a pair of pajama pants. "Come on, let's go get food." He ran to the living room to grab Grantaire's boxers. Enjolras threw them at Grantaire when he came back in the bedroom. Grantaire caught them before slipping them on.

They walked into the kitchen together, hand in hand. Grantaire laughed when he saw how messy the couch and the surrounding area was. Enjolras just sort of shrugged. "We can clean it up later."

Grantaire let go of Enjolras' hand to search for food in the kitchen. He found a loaf of bread, eggs, milk, and syrup. "How do you feel about French toast?"

"It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon." Enjolras said.

"Contrary to popular belief, breakfast is an all-day food.  I want French toast. I also want bacon and hash browns, so you better have some." Grantaire told him as he searched for a bowl.

Enjolras searched the fridge for a package of bacon and then the freezer for a bag of frozen hash browns. "You’re in luck." He set both packages on the counter.

Grantaire finished getting the egg and milk mixture ready before he started dipping the bread as the pan warmed up over the stove. He asked Enjolras if he could start working on the hash browns while he worried about the bacon and French toast. They started cooking together, both of them realizing how domestic it was. Enjolras took a break from the hash browns to start the coffee. Grantaire was flipping French toast when he felt arms wrap around his waist.

"I could get used to this. The domesticity." Enjolras told him.

"Me too." Grantaire told him. "It is a good thing that it's Saturday, but I still don't know how I'll be able to sit in that classroom on Monday and not touch you."

"I know, love. I know." Enjolras said as he cooked the hash browns with one hand.

They finished cooking. Grantaire dished up the food onto their plates before he handed them to Enjolras. Grantaire grabbed mugs for the coffee. He then went down to sit next to Enjolras. They ate their food as they enjoyed each other's company.

After they finished eating, they brought their plates to the sink and did the dishes together. After the kitchen was cleaned up, Enjolras headed in the direction of the bathroom for a shower.

"You’re welcome to join me."

Grantaire smiled before following Enjolras to the shower. As they showered, they indulged themselves in a little shower sex. Both of them are completely insatiable after discovering how wonderful the sex could be between them.

***

Their weekend together was spent it cuddling, kissing, watching movies, bathing together, and having sex. They were laying on the couch, a movie playing in the background, but neither of them were paying attention because their lips were busy doing something else. Enjolras had made sure to stash the lube and condoms in the couch cushions, so they didn't have to move to the bed. He reached for the TV remote and muted the television. He pulled away to ask Grantaire if he was rested up enough for another round of sex. Grantaire nodded, and they proceeded to have sex for what had to have the 10th time that weekend.

As they came down from the afterglow, Grantaire realized that he should go home. He didn't want to go home, all he wanted to do was stay. Grantaire pulled away from Enjolras to sit up.

"I should head home." Grantaire told his boyfriend as he stood up. His clothes from Friday were sitting next to the door, all clean. Enjolras had also ran outside to get their bags that they had left in his car from Friday evening. He grabbed his clothes.

"Not when you reek of sex. Take a shower, and then, go home." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire showered quickly and got dressed. He stole a hoodie from Enjolras' closet simply because it smelled like his boyfriend. When he walked out of the bedroom, he noticed that Enjolras had put his boxers back on. He had also cleaned up the living room a little bit. Enjolras looked up and smiled at him. Grantaire walked to the door to grab his jacket and backpack.

"I don't want you to go." Enjolras told him as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"I don't want to go either, but we both know that I have too." Grantaire kissed him. "Just remember that when I walk out that door that my feelings don't change."

"I know. I love you." Enjolras kissed him.

Grantaire opened the door. He quickly kissed him, again, before walking out of the apartment.

When he made it home, his mother wasn't home. Grantaire had been in a daze the whole walk home. He reached his bedroom and collapsed on the bed. He closed his eyes for only a second, but the next time, he opened his eyes, it was _8:05 P.M._ Grantaire had slept for almost four hours. He hadn't realized that he was tired. His sexual escapades with Enjolras had clearly tired him out. He took his phone out only to see that Enjolras had texted him, telling him that he missed him already.

_**Grantaire (8:07 P.M.): I miss you, too! You'll see me tomorrow.** _

_**Love <3 (8:07 P.M.): I know, but tomorrow I can't kiss or cuddle with you. : (** _

_**Grantaire (8:08 P.M.): You are ridiculous, but I still love you. Oh, and thanks to you, I just woke up from a four hour nap. You wore me out with all the sex. Remember that I am only 18, I do need sleep. ; )** _

_**Love <3 (8:10 P.M.): I feel no shame! ; ) ** _

_**Love <3 (8:11 P.M.): Oh, and I love you, too. Xoxo!** _

Grantaire smiled before sending a kiss emoji back to his boyfriend. They continued texting for the rest of the night until Enjolras said goodnight and that he would see him tomorrow. Grantaire set his phone down, and grabbed his sketchbook. He sketched until his eyes were burning. Then, he finally went to sleep.

***

The next morning, when Grantaire arrived at the school, he and Enjolras shared a secret smile. Despite the magnificent weekend that he had with Enjolras, he still hated that Feuilly would be guest speaking for another week. He had voiced that concern to Enjolras the night before in a text. Enjolras understood, but once again, told him that he had nothing to worry about. Grantaire just wanted it to be his free period already.

Finally, it was time for free period. Grantaire walked to Enjolras' classroom. He knocked on the door, Enjolras told him to come in. The door was barely shut before Enjolras' lips were on his. Grantaire threw his backpack to the side as he wrapped his arms around Enjolras' waist.

Enjolras was the first to break the kiss. "Hi."

"Hi." They nuzzled their heads together. "You take my breath away." Enjolras smiled.

They eventually pull away from each other. Enjolras handing Grantaire a stack of papers to grade.

By the middle of the period, Grantaire had finished his stack. He walked them over to Enjolras, who looked like he was about to pull his hair out.

"What's wrong?" Grantaire asked him, coming around to place a hand on his shoulder.

"More than half of these papers are wrong, and I'm about to scream." Enjolras said.

"Alright, just take a break for two minutes." Grantaire told his boyfriend.

Enjolras swiveled his chair around before standing up. He looked at Grantaire before he kissed him. They were still kissing when they heard a gasp. They sprang apart to see Jehan, closing the door, very clearly in shock.

"Jehan!" Grantaire stammered.

Jehan walked toward the desk. "Um…I came to ask Enjolras a few questions on the project before we start it later this week." He was avoiding making eye contact with both Enjolras and Grantaire.

"Right. Okay, so I guess, I'll see you later." Grantaire said to Enjolras as he made his way out of the room.

"What's your question, Jehan?" Enjolras asked, trying to remain calm. Jehan quickly asked the question. "Um…I'm actually not sure what the answer would be, but I'm sure Feuilly would. I suggest asking him during class today."

"Thank you, anyway, Mr. E. I will make sure to do that." Jehan said.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be more help." Enjolras told him as he crossed his arms. "Look, Jehan, about what you saw when you walked in?"

Jehan shrugged it off. "Don't worry. Yours and Grantaire's secret is safe with me. Next time, I have a question during this class period, I'll make sure to knock. Just don't hurt him, or you'll have me to deal with."

Enjolras chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it. Thanks, Jehan."

"You’re welcome. See you later, Mr. E!" Jehan called as he walked out of the classroom. As he walked out, Grantaire caught his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom.

"Jehan, about what you saw. You need to promise me that you won't say anything. I don't expect you to understand how I could do something like this, but-" Grantaire got cut off.

"You're right, I don't understand. You realize how messy this could get if the wrong person found out. How long has this been going on, R?" Jehan crossed his arms.

Grantaire sighed. "We met about a month before school started. We started talking, and one thing led to another, and we ended up sleeping together. We didn't even know that he was going to be the new teacher until the first day of school. We tried to stay away, but we couldn't. I love him, Jehan, and he loves me. I know that it's wrong, but to us it feels right. It always has." He looked at Jehan, begging him to understand.

"Whether it feels right or not, it doesn't change the fact that you could cost the man his job, Grantaire." Jehan told him.

"I know that, Jehan. But we've been careful." Jehan gave him a pointed look. "Okay, apart from you walking in today, we have been careful." Jehan just sighed in exasperation. "Look, Jehan, I love him. I've never felt for anyone what I feel for him, so please promise me you won't say anything. No one can know. Not our friends, and that includes Bahorel. No one."

Jehan uncrossed his arms, and sighed in defeat. "Yeah, fine. I promise. Besides, I already told Mr. E, that your secret was safe with me. I just hope you two know what you're doing."

"You're the best, Jehan." Grantaire said as he hugged him.

They walked out of the classroom, and Grantaire felt better now knowing that Jehan was going to keep their secret safe.

***

That Saturday, there was a Les Amis meeting at the Café Musain. Enjolras had invited students from the world history class to join the meeting. Enjolras had gotten the school board's permission to ask students if they wanted to join the club, and some of them did. Jehan, Bahorel, Joly, Bossuet, Musichetta, Cosette, Marius, and Éponine had all joined. Grantaire it had taken a little bit of persuasion, but he eventually promised Enjolras that he would be there. Combeferre, Courfeyrac, and Feuilly were already members.

All of his friends are already there when Grantaire arrived. He saw Enjolras talking to Combeferre off to the side. When he saw that Feuilly there, he felt a pit of anger in his stomach because, of course, he was going to be there. Enjolras saw his boyfriend enter and make his way toward the table where Jehan and Bahorel were sitting with their arms wrapped around each other, and he had to fight the urge to move toward Grantaire.

The meeting started, and it didn't take long for Grantaire to start ripping Enjolras' speech apart. Enjolras, knowing that it was going to come, just sighed before he started the debating with him. The friends who were used to it from class didn't even bat an eyelash and watched it like it was a ping pong game, but Combeferre, Courfeyrac, and Feuilly all watched with worried eyes because they knew how passionate Enjolras got over the cause. It was unusual to see that it was just a friendly debate, not full-blown argument.

Jehan, being the only one, who knew what was truly going on between the two, could hear the underlying affection in their voices as they debated back and forth. He could also see the playful glint in their eyes.

Enjolras, eventually called the meeting to a close. He thanked everyone for attending before everyone got up to mingle. The four adults soon found themselves talking with the students. They didn't seem to mind when the students started asking them questions about their personal lives. Everything was fine until they started talking about college.

"So, how did you four all meet?" Bahorel asked.

"Well, Enj, 'Ferre, and I have been friends since childhood. We met Feuilly in college. Enjolras had been infatuated with Feuilly from the start. It was "Feuilly this, Feuilly that" for the first semester of college. Until he finally plucked up the courage to ask him out." Courfeyrac explained. Patting Enjolras on the back. "Granted, they were only together for three months before they realized they worked better as friends. I actually have a picture from a party." He pulled out his phone and found the picture on Facebook. It got passed around the table. "But other than that, the four of us have been friends since college."

Nobody paid any mind to how uncomfortable Enjolras or Grantaire had gotten since Courfeyrac's explanation started. Someone, eventually, asked a different question about college before Courfeyrac could continue his rambling about Enjolras and Feuilly.

Enjolras excused himself to the bathroom. Grantaire, refusing to even look at him. He walked to the hallway of the bathroom and pulled out his phone.

_**Enjolras (7:40 P.M.): I'm going to leave in a few minutes. Follow me 15 minutes later, please.** _

_**My Love <3 <3 (7:40 P.M.): Why should I? You lied to me!** _

_**Enjolras (7:41 P.M.): I didn't lie to you. I just neglected to tell you the full truth. Grantaire, just come, please. I will explain everything to you, I promise. Please.** _

**_My Love <3 <3 (7:43 P.M.): Fine. But I want the FULL truth._ **

Enjolras walked out of the hallway. He told his friends that he was going to head home. Making up the lie of having papers to grad. Enjolras grabbed his bag, and walked out of the Musain. He walked out and waited in an alleyway for Grantaire to come out.

His boyfriend left the Musain, 15 minutes later, as planned. Feigning the lie that his mother wanted him home. He walked by the alley way where Enjolras grabbed his arm. Grantaire crossed his arms when he saw Enjolras.

"You told me you would tell me the full truth. Tell me." Grantaire demanded.

"Not here." Enjolras told him.

They walked to Enjolras' car. Not wanting the risk being seen by the people in the Musain, Enjolras drove them to the city park.

"Alright, we are away from the Musain. Now, tell me why you lied to me about Feuilly?" Grantaire commanded.

"It wasn't important."

"It was important to me!" Grantaire gritted his teeth. "You know terrified I am of losing you, Enjolras!"

"And that's exactly why I didn't tell you!" Enjolras told him. "All of last week, I saw how much pain you were in, and I knew that if I told you, it would just inflict more pain. I had every intention of telling you, I did, until you told me how terrified you are of losing me, and I just couldn't. I thought that just reassuring you that all I feel now for Feuilly is friendship and brotherhood would be enough."

"You should have told me." Grantaire said. "Complete honesty, remember. Enjolras, just tell me, please."

Enjolras sighed. "Fine." He reached for Grantaire's hand, but Grantaire quickly folded his arms. "The story that Courfeyrac told is pretty much spot on. When I met Feuilly, I was completely infatuated with him. It all stemmed from him being a source of inspiration. He's an orphan. Grew up in the foster system. Something that should have broken his spirit, but never did. He started working at a young age to pay for schooling, both high school and college. I was captivated by him. I had a crush on him and vice versa. I asked him out our second semester, but it only lasted three months. It just…we could never get past the kissing. It was like making out with a brother. We decided that we worked better as friends, and since then that's all we've ever been. Friends. After college, he went off to travel around Europe. I have it on good authority that he has a fiancée over in Greece." Enjolras explained. "Feuilly was lucky enough to get a month break when I asked him to come for these two weeks. I realize now that I should have probably talked to you about it before I had."

"Yeah, you should have." Grantaire said. "When was the picture taken?"

"About a month and a half into our relationship. Courf was throwing a party. He was the one that took the picture. He posted it on Facebook, and never took it down. I completely forgot that the picture even existed." Enjolras could see the tears forming in Grantaire's eyes. "Love, I'm sorry. I know that I should have told you. I just didn't know how. You were so sure that you were going to lose me to Feuilly, I thought it best to keep it a secret for a little while longer. I never thought that my friends would beat me to it. That wasn't the way that I wanted you to find out. Granted, I'm sure I would have received the same reaction." Grantaire wiped a tear from his eye. Enjolras reached for his hand, and this time, Grantaire didn't pull away. Enjolras laced their fingers together. "Please, look at me." Grantaire turned to look at him. "What is bothering you more? Knowing the truth now about my relationship with Feuilly and that photo existing? Or knowing that you and I can never take a picture like that?"

Grantaire's face crumbled as he started to cry, Enjolras pulled his boyfriend into his arms as much as could while in the car. He did his best to soothe him. "It's okay, love. It's okay."

Enjolras pushed Grantaire away from his chest, so that he could cup his face. "Love, one day we will be able to take a picture like that. It just can't be now." He wiped a tear from Grantaire's eye. "Now, I want you to listen to me because I'm only going to say this once. Feuilly is my past and _only_ my friend. That's it. But you. You, my sweet Grantaire, you are very much my present and my future." Enjolras admitted. "When I think of my future, you're the one that I see in it. Now, I know, that you're still young, and college is. Well, it's going to test this. Us. But at the end of day, you're the one that I want to come home too. I don't believe in soulmates or fate, but I believe that we were brought together that night for a reason because for me, you're _it._ You're my forever." Enjolras confessed as his own tears started. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Grantaire told him.

Grantaire smashed their lips together in a hard, but passionate kiss. The heat and intensity rising with every movement of their mouths. Enjolras pulled away from him to see the lust and love in his eyes. Grantaire nodded at him before Enjolras started the car up to drive to his apartment.

***

They were both still coming down from the high of their orgasms when they started cleaning themselves up and getting dressed, so Enjolras could bring Grantaire home. Both of their necks were covered in love bites that they'd both have to wear clothes that would cover them up on Monday morning.

When they arrived at Grantaire's house, Grantaire saw that his mother had already left for work. They both got out of the car. Enjolras rested against the car after walking around to Grantaire's side. They wrapped their arms around each other.

"I wish you could have stayed." Enjolras told him.

"I know, but after staying all of last weekend, my mom wouldn't be happy." Grantaire explained. "Plus, I have to work tomorrow."

Enjolras nodded. "I know." They kissed for a while, but Enjolras pulled away. "If I don't stop now, I will take you home again and continue fucking you into the mattress."

"I wouldn't mind." Grantaire wrapped his arms around Enjolras' neck. "But I know you can't. Text me when you get home?"

"Of course. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Goodnight, mon amour."

Grantaire smiled before pressing a small kiss to Enjolras' lips. "Goodnight."

They kissed again before Grantaire let go of Enjolras. Grantaire watched as his boyfriend drove away before walking up to the house.

Both of them completely oblivious to Dylan, watching them from the bushes, who had seen the entire exchange.

***

About a month and a half later, Enjolras stopped grading papers to open one of the drawers of his desk. Inside the drawer was his resignation letter. He had written it way back in October when he realized that he was falling in love with Grantaire. Now, that they were dating, Enjolras had every intention of turning the letter into Principal Valjean. He heard a knock on the door, and quickly hid the letter in its drawer. He hadn't discussed it with Grantaire, yet, and he didn't want him seeing the letter until he did.

Dylan was standing outside the room with a piece of paper and a manila envelope in his hand. Dylan had known of the relationship for about a month and a half, but decided that he would keep the information to himself until he could use it against Enjolras. And now, he had the perfect opportunity to do just that.

"Hello, Dylan. How can I help you?" Enjolras asked.

Dylan walked to the desk, holding the piece of paper. It was an essay that he had written that Enjolras had given him a D on. "Yes, I worked really hard on this essay, and I don't think that it's deserving of a D."

"That may be, but it was also fairly obvious that you didn't understand the material." Enjolras told him.

Dylan rolled his eyes. "I understood it enough to know that it didn’t deserve a D."

"Well, that's your opinion. As a teacher, it's my job to make sure you understand the material, which you clearly didn't." Enjolras told him, turning back to his grading.

"And I understand two things about you. One is that you're a teacher. And two, you're sleeping with Grantaire, which I'm fairly sure isn't in the job description." Dylan told him.

Enjolras froze before looking up at him with him. "I'm sorry, Dylan, I don't know what you're talking about it."

"Oh, don't try to deny it. I saw the two of you together." Dylan opened the manila envelope and pulled out two pictures. He turned them toward Enjolras. One was a picture of him and Grantaire with their arms wrapped around each other, and they were looking at each other with the most loving gazes. The second picture was them kissing. "Here's a helpful hint. Next time when you're trying to keep a forbidden, and illegal, relationship secret, don't kiss in the middle of the street. Now, you have two options. One is you can take another look at my essay and give it the grade it deserves. Or two, these pictures can anonymously end up on Valjean's desk. I think it will be all the proof he'll need to fire you, and for you, to go to prison for a long time." He held up both options.

Enjolras took the essay. "I'll take another look at it."

"Good." Dylan put the pictures back in the manila envelope before stuffing it in his backpack. "As long as I get a B or higher, these pictures will never see the light of day." He smiled, smugly before walking out of the classroom.

Enjolras ran his hands through his hair.

So much for being careful.

***

Grantaire's free period rolled around quickly. He swept into Enjolras' classroom, shutting the door as he set down his backpack. Seeing shadows underneath his boyfriend's eyes, Grantaire walked behind the desk. He placed his hands on Enjolras' shoulders to massage them.

"You're stressed, baby." Grantaire whispered.

Enjolras rolled his head back against Grantaire. "Yes, what do you want to do about it?" He murmured back.

Grantaire grinned, wolfishly. "I know what could help, but it's only fit for the bedroom." He whispered, seductively into his love's ear.

"You really do want me just for the sex, don't you?" Enjolras teased.

"Well, every time that we've had sex, you've rocked my world with a mind-blowing orgasm." Grantaire leaned down, and started to kiss Enjolras' neck. "But there's also the fact that I am so deeply, passionately, heartbreakingly in love with you."

Enjolras moved his head to the side to allow Grantaire to kiss his neck for a few seconds before he stopped him. "Grantaire, you know we can't do this here."

"Right. Sorry." Grantaire mumbled. He moved away from behind him. "I just…"

"The desire is strong, trust me. I get it. Every time you're in here, it takes everything in me not push against his desk, and have my way with you." Enjolras told him.

Grantaire smiled. "Only a month and half left until we don't have to hide anymore."

"Speaking of graduation, we should probably talk about what happens after." Enjolras told him.

"Tonight? Your apartment? Say eight? I'll cook." Grantaire offered. He laced their fingers.

"Sounds perfect, but now, take these and go correct them." Enjolras handed him a stack of papers and a pen. He waved him away. Grantaire groaned as he walked to sit at a desk. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Grantaire uncapped the pen to start correcting.

***

Dylan came back at the end of the day. Enjolras handed him his assignment that had a C at the top, instead of a D. Dylan looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What is this?"

"It's the grade you earned." Enjolras stood up. He started packing up his stuff.

"You are aware of what this means?"

Enjolras looked at him with a glare. "Oh, I know exactly what it means, but go ahead, tell Valjean. You think I don’t know the true reason why you're doing this. You're jealous. You're jealous that I have Grantaire, and you don't. So, go ahead, tell him. Just remember that it's going to hurt Grantaire way more than it will hurt me. You can leave now."

Dylan left the room. Enjolras let out a breath that he hadn't realized that he was holding. He was well aware of the fact that he had probably just wrote his prison sentence, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

***

That night, Grantaire was back in the kitchen of Enjolras' apartment, cooking chicken, roasted potatoes, dinner rolls, and carrots. Enjolras had wanted to help, but Grantaire had told him that it was all on him tonight, instead he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist.

"I love you."

Grantaire turned his head to press a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, too. Now, out. I'm almost done."

Enjolras left the kitchen to go to the couch. About ten minutes later, Grantaire came in with two plates of food. They sat on the couch to eat their dinner. When they were done, Grantaire rested his legs in Enjolras' lap.

"So, about after graduating? What did you want to talk about?" He played with Enjolras' curls.

"I'm thinking of resigning." Enjolras grabbed Grantaire's hand.

"What? Why?"

"Because of you." Enjolras confessed. "You're going to be moving to Portland, and I've been looking for jobs in the area."

Grantaire finally realized what Enjolras was saying. "Wait, are you saying that you want to come with me to Portland?"

"I want to be where you are. It's cliché, I know, but now that I've found you, I don't want to let you go."

Grantaire shook his head. "No, it makes sense. Besides, I'll be an hour away from my mom and my home. With you there with me, home won't be that far away."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm more than sure. I want you there."

Enjolras kissed him, which quickly turned into a make out session. Grantaire's phone started buzzing, but he told Enjolras to just ignore it. But when it continued to buzz for the next 10 minutes, Enjolras urged him to answer it. "It's not going to stop, so just answer it." He grabbed the plates to bring them into the kitchen.

Grantaire answered his phone. "Hey, Joly. What's up?"

 _"Hey, we are all going to the Musain for dinner tomorrow. You in?"_ Joly said.

"Um…yeah. Sounds great." Grantaire told his best friend. He felt guilty because ever since he and Enjolras had started dating, he had barely spent any time with his friends. He knew that he would eventually have to tell them about him and Enjolras. He talked to Joly for a few more minutes before hanging up. "He just wanted to know if I was free for dinner." Enjolras nodded. Grantaire saw that there was something up with Enjolras. He had been distracted all night. "Okay, what is it?"

"It's nothing that you need to worry about, love." Enjolras told him. He still hadn't told him about Dylan's threat, but he was holding out hope that Dylan was bluffing.

"If you say so. Look, I should probably head home." Grantaire said.

"Of course." Enjolras pulled him in for a hug before he kissed him. Grantaire walked to get his jacket and backpack. "Call me when you get home?"

"Of course. I love you."

"Me too."

They kissed one last time before Grantaire left the apartment.

***

The next day, Grantaire arrived at the school, only to see Bahorel, Éponine, Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta all talking to Dylan. He found that a little weird since he knew that none of them were big fans of Dylan. He started putting his books in his locker when Jehan walked up to him.

"That's a little weird, isn't it?" Jehan pointed toward their friends and Dylan. Grantaire shrugged as he continued to put books in his locker. "So, are you coming tonight or you going be spending the night with your hot sugar daddy?"

"Please, don't call him, but yes, I'm coming tonight." Grantaire told his friend.

Jehan grinned. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Are you going to tell them, yet?"

He glanced at his friends. "I'm thinking that I'll tell them after graduation."

The bell rang. Jehan linked his arm with Grantaire's as they headed to their first class together.

***

That evening, Grantaire sat with his friends at the Musain. He had missed hanging out with his friends. He made a promise to himself to start dividing his time between Enjolras, his mother, and his friends when he wasn't doing school work. He had quit working at the bar after he had enough money for the class he needed to take that summer at the South Kitts Community College before moving to Portland, but he sometimes still worked at the bar when they were understaffed on busy nights.

As he ate his greasy nachos, Grantaire couldn't help, but ask what they had been talking to Dylan about.

"It was just about some rumor that he had heard." Bahorel said.

Intrigued, Grantaire asked. "What rumor?"

"A rumor about Mr. E." Joly chimed in. Grantaire froze in his spot.

He could feel Jehan's eyes on him as he asked. "What about him?"

Musichetta came back with the drinks for the group. She must have heard what they were talking about because she explained once she sat down. "Apparently, he's been sleeping with one of the male students."

Grantaire tried to keep his face neutral to not give anything away. "Did he happen to say which student?" The other friends shook their heads.

"Oh, please, Mr. Enjolras doesn't seem like the person who would risk his job to sneak around with a student. A rumor like that could destroy his life." Cosette told him, reaching for a fry from Marius' plate.

"But, according to Dylan, it's not a rumor. He has proof of them kissing in the street. He also said that he felt sorry for the boy, but tomorrow he was going to tell Valjean. Grantaire, do you know any more about it? You seem really close with Mr. E." Musichetta told them.

Grantaire shook his head. "No. I don't." But what could he say? He was well aware that the rumor was true because _he_ was the student that Enjolras was sleeping with.

As he listened to the group change the subject, the only thing he could think about was whether or not Enjolras knew. He stood up, telling the group that he was going to get ice cream, asking Jehan to come with him.

Jehan followed him to the ice cream parlor in the café. He crossed his arms as they walked. "How the hell did Dylan find out?"

"I don't know, Jehan, but the only think I can think about is whether or not the man I love knows. He needs to be prepared, Jehan."

"I know. Tell them that something came up with your mom or something, but you should go." Jehan said as they began ordering ice cream.

When they got back to the table, but instead of sitting back down, Grantaire stayed standing. "Hey, my mom texted me. Apparently, there's an emergency. I need to go."

"That's alright, man. Do what you need to do." Bahorel told him.

Grantaire hugged and said goodbye to his friends before leaving the Musain. He headed straight in the direction of Enjolras' apartment. When he arrived, he found the key for his boyfriend's apartment under the welcome mat, and unlocked the door. Enjolras was grading papers on the couch. He looked up when the door opened.

"Hey, I thought you were out with your friends tonight?" Enjolras asked as he stood up.

Grantaire took off his jacket to hang it up before walking to where Enjolras was standing. "I was, but then, we started talking about a rumor they had heard."

"What rumor?" Enjolras asked, confused.

"Apparently, Dylan knows. About us." Grantaire noticed the look on his boyfriend's face. He didn't look surprised. It dawned on Grantaire that Enjolras already knew. "Did you know?"

Enjolras sighed. "Yeah, I did. He came to my classroom yesterday morning. Demanded a better grade on his essay. If I didn't give him one, he was going to tell Valjean about us." Enjolras explained

Grantaire crossed his arms. "Why didn't tell me? Complete honesty, remember?"

"I know. I thought he was bluffing and since he has some weird crush on you, I thought if he knew how much it would hurt you, he would back off. Apparently, I was wrong." Enjolras couldn't stand the look of devastation on his boyfriend's face, so he grabbed his hands to try and comfort him. "I was just trying to protect you."

"Me? What about you? You're the one with the career on the line! Hell, even jail time! Is that what the whole "I want to move with you to Portland" conversation was about?" Grantaire accused.

"What? No! I had decided that long before Dylan even found out." Enjolras told him. "Love, listen to me, no matter what happens, I want you to remember that I love you." He cupped Grantaire's face, who nodded. "And…and even though this doesn't look right, it has _always_ felt right. And I will _not_ let some jock come in and spin a story to make it feel wrong. That is one thing that I will not do."

Grantaire nodded his head as he pulled Enjolras to him in a hug. "I still wish you had told me."

"I'm so sorry, my love." Enjolras whispered.

Grantaire unwrapped himself from Enjolras to go and stand next to the window. Enjolras followed him to wrap his arms around his waist. He rested his chin on Grantaire's shoulder.

"You told me that the best thing was to wait until after graduation, but I wormed my way into spending my free period with you. It was my mother who told you to go for it. Now, you're going to get fired."

"Sweetheart, I don't want you to blame yourself. I played as much part in it as you did. Do you really think I tried as hard I could have in pushing you away? It's not your fault."

"Sure as hell feels like it is." Grantaire told him. His hands resting on Enjolras'.

Enjolras unwrapped his arms from Grantaire's waist to turn him around to face him. Grantaire looked up at him. Enjolras cupped his face. "We fell in love with each other. No matter what anyone says that can't take that away from us. I told you that you are my forever, and that's true, but you are also my world now."

A tear slipped from Grantaire's eye. Enjolras wiped away the tear with the pad of his thumb. Grantaire kissed him before wrapping him a hug. He buried his face in Enjolras' neck. "Make love to me, one last time." He whispered in his ear before pulling away.

"It won't be-" Enjolras stopped when he saw the look on his love's face. "Alright."

Enjolras slot their lips together. They wrapped their arms around each other as Enjolras backed them up against the wall. Enjolras pulled away before smiling at Grantaire. He grabbed his hands and walked backwards to his bedroom.

As they stood next to the bed, Enjolras' fingers started unbuttoning the buttons of Grantaire's flannel shirt. He pushed the shirt off of Grantaire's shoulders before pulling the undershirt off of his body. He pulled Grantaire toward him before kissing him. Enjolras than pushed him gently towards the bed, crawling over him. Grantaire's fingers found the hem of Enjolras' shirt to pull it off. Enjolras' fingers found the buckle of Grantaire's jeans, he then pulled them off of his body. Followed by his boxers.

Once all of Grantaire's clothing had been removed, Enjolras kissed every part of his body before he grabbed the lube and a condom. Grantaire sighed with pleasure as Enjolras took his cock into his mouth. He bobbed his head, feeling Grantaire's hands in his hair. Grantaire moaned above him. He pulled away before Grantaire could come. Enjolras grabbed the bottle of lube.

"Are you ready?" Enjolras asked before his fingers entered Grantaire. Grantaire simply nodded. Enjolras pushed a finger inside of him. Grantaire moaned as he started moving it around. He added a second, and a third finger soon after.

When he deemed Grantaire was ready, he pulled out his fingers, removed his pants and boxers, and rolled on the condom. He crawled over Grantaire to kiss him. Enjolras lined himself up with Grantaire's entrance before slowly pushing in. They both moaned at the feeling. Grantaire wrapped his legs around his waist.

"You can move." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras started thrusting, slowly. Grantaire had said he wanted to make love, and in Enjolras' vocabulary, making love meant slow, smooth, and sensual, while fucking meant that it was rough, hard, and fast. He searched for Grantaire's hand. He laced their fingers together before placing them next to Grantaire's head. He leaned down to kiss him.

"I love you." Grantaire told him as he looked up at him and smiled. He moved the curls that were in Enjolras' face behind his ear. Enjolras smiled down at him.

Enjolras pulled out before thrusting back in Grantaire. His pace gradually increasing, but never going past what it had in their previous lovemaking sessions. Grantaire let out soft moans with every thrust. His eyes had slipped closed, so Enjolras took the opportunity to kiss his neck and nibble on his ear. Grantaire's free hand came behind his head, guiding it. Enjolras pulled away from his neck to start giving attention to other parts of his body.

Grantaire let go of Enjolras' hand to grab his lover's face. He pulled it down to his lips. They continued to kiss as Enjolras speed up even more to get them both to their orgasms in between seconds of each other. He could feel the heat start rising in his stomach, and knew that Grantaire was almost there to by the way his walls were clenching around his cock. He reached in between them to start stroking his boyfriend's cock. Grantaire's moans became erratic as his fingers found the sheets.

As they both tumbled over the edge together, Grantaire arched off the bed before falling back against it with a sigh. Enjolras continued thrusting and stroking to ride them both threw their release. As they came down from the high, Enjolras gently pulled out of Grantaire. He got off the bed to throw away the condom and came back with a wash cloth. After they cleaned themselves up, Enjolras put on a pair of pajama pants and threw Grantaire his boxers. He also found Grantaire his phone, so he could call his mom and explain the situation.

Afterward, they laid in the bed, facing each other. Their hands intertwined between them, exchanging kisses every once in a while. Enjolras stared at Grantaire, taking in every inch of his boyfriend's face. Grantaire realized what he was doing.

"Okay, but that I won't let you do." Grantaire said, cupping his love's face.

Enjolras looked at him confused. "Do what?"

"Look at me like this might be the last time you ever see me." Grantaire told him.

"Come here." Enjolras resituated, so that he could hold Grantaire as he rested his head on his chest. Grantaire soon fell asleep in that position. Enjolras kissed his head and turned out the light.

***

Enjolras refused to stay asleep, however. Sleep wasn't going to come until he did something, so he quietly and gently, got himself out from underneath Grantaire's grasp. He got off the bed and went into the living room to his desk, where his laptop was sitting.

He opened up his school e-mail to send the document that was his resignation letter to Valjean. Enjolras didn't care that it was two-thirty in the morning. He needed to send it or he would never get to sleep. Enjolras just hoped that Dylan hadn't gotten to Valjean, yet. He was not going to let Dylan ruin his chance at a future with Grantaire.

Enjolras added an apology to the e-mail about it being so late. He also added that while he had loved working there, he just couldn't anymore. He sent off the e-mail with a sigh. He turned off his laptop before heading back into the bedroom.

He stopped in the doorway to look at the beautiful boy sleeping soundly in his bed. Enjolras hated that he had just resigned from his job because he did love it, but he loved Grantaire more and he would do anything for him.

He walked to his side of the bed to crawl back in. Enjolras settled back into the bed, wrapping an arm around Grantaire.

"I love you, Grantaire. More than you could possibly know." He whispered before pressing a kiss to his curls and finally, _finally_ , falling asleep.

***

When Enjolras arrived at the school, the next morning, he went straight to Valjean to ask if he had gotten his resignation letter. Enjolras knocked on the door, Valjean smiled and waved him in.

"I just came in to make sure that you got my resignation letter?" Enjolras inquired as he sat down.

Valjean nodded. "I did, and I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. You were doing well here. The students adore you. I got wonderful comments from parents the night of conferences. I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you."

"Me too." Enjolras sighed.

Valjean folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. "Well, since you asked for it to be effective as soon as possible, I will have the school board look it over tonight, and if all goes to plan, your last day will be Friday."

"Thank you, sir." Enjolras stood up to leave. "Before I go, can I ask you a question that may sound cryptic, but I need you to not question in it?" Valjean looked at him suspiciously, but allowed the question. "Have you by any chance received any mail that was sent to you anonymously?"

"Not that I have seen. Why?" Valjean asked.

"No reason, just curious." Enjolras said before leaving. Pleased to find out that he had gotten to Valjean before Dylan had.

***

Enjolras went through the day, not telling anyone about his resignation, not even Combeferre. Grantaire had to be the first one to know. He waited impatiently for Grantaire to come in during his free period that day. When he finally did, Enjolras was bouncing with excitement.

"Hey." Enjolras said with a huge grin on his face.

Grantaire finished shutting the door before turning around. "You know for someone who has been threatened to be fired, you seem awfully chipper."

"That's because I am. I turned in my resignation letter to Valjean. I asked him if it could be effective immediately, and he said that he'll show it to the school board tonight. My last day will be Friday, if all goes well." Enjolras explained.

Grantaire broke out into a huge smile. "You're serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. Dylan hadn't even gotten to him, yet." Enjolras told him, wrapping his arms around Grantaire.

"As long as nobody finds out the real reason for your resignation, we will be fine." Grantaire said, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Enjolras lifted Grantaire up and spun him around. Grantaire laughing, gleefully, into his neck. When he was set back on the floor, Grantaire leaned up to kiss him. Enjolras placed a hand on his cheek. "Now, we can start thinking about Portland. Finding our apartment. Me finding a job."

"Whoa, slow down, tiger. Let us get through the rest of this week and graduation, then we can start looking at Portland. Plus, the apartment will just be yours that first year since I'm required to live in the dorm." Grantaire explained.

"Either way, we get to be together with no more lies. No more sneaking around. Granted, we have to wait until after graduation to be seen in public, but once that happens, we can finally take that picture that we both want." Enjolras said, vibrating with happiness.

Grantaire kissed him again before wrapping him in a hug. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too."

Both of them feeling genuinely happy again since that first night in August.

***

Once his resignation was approved, Valjean called him to give him the news. His official last day was Friday. They had already had a replacement for him, he just needed to inform the replacement of where he had left on in his teachings. The next day, Enjolras announced to each of his classes that he was resigning from his job because of personal reasons. He could see the shock on the faces of the students, but when he told Grantaire's class, Grantaire had a hard time keeping the glee from his face.

Dylan came into his classroom later that day. "Well, congratulations. You found a loophole."

"What do you want, Dylan?" Enjolras asked.

"Nothing. I'm just enjoying the satisfaction that I won." Dylan told him.

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "How did you win exactly? I still have my career, and I still have Grantaire, so I don't think you won a damn thing. Grantaire never loved you, and he was never going to. He has, does, and will always love me."

"Damn straight." Dylan turned around to see Grantaire standing in the doorway. He walked in to stand by Enjolras' side. Grantaire reached for Enjolras' hand to lace their fingers together. "You think you know the truth about this. When it started, how it started. But newsflash, you have no idea. You tried to ruin, but you couldn't." He kissed Enjolras. When they pulled away from each other, Grantaire turned to Dylan. "You can leave the way you entered."

Dylan left the room in a huff. Grantaire turned back to Enjolras to hug him.

***

_Epilogue_

A year and a half later, Enjolras and Grantaire both lived in Portland in the apartment that they had found together. Grantaire was in his second year of college, and Enjolras had found a job as a political science teacher at the Portland Community College.

All of Grantaire's friends, excluding Jehan, found out the true nature of their relationship not long after graduation. Despite not being his teacher anymore, they had agreed to continue to keep it secret until after Grantaire had graduated. Enjolras' friends found out at Combeferre and Courfeyrac's wedding when Grantaire had been Enjolras' date. Needless to say, Combeferre wasn't happy at first, but eventually warmed up to it. He couldn't believe that his best friend had put his career on the line like that, but once he saw the way that Enjolras looked at Grantaire, he understood.

Their relationship hadn't been easy out of the shadows of secrecy. It had been an adjustment for both of them. Not having to look over the shoulders. Not having to pull their hands away when leaving the apartment. Being able to kiss in public. Being able to take pictures in public. They were used to being open now, but for the first couple months it was strange. It had caused them to almost break up twice. But after long talks about what almost broke them up, and some incredibly hot and passionate make up sex, they came out stronger in the end.

Their friends had started dropping questions about a possible in engagement, but both of them ignored the questions. Neither of them were in a hurry, especially when Grantaire was still in college. They were both content with the life that they had now. There was no point in changing their lives quite yet.

Enjolras was coming home from work as stood outside of their apartment. He could hear Grantaire's scream of frustration from inside of the apartment. He chuckled as he unlocked the door. Enjolras walked in to see his boyfriend hunched over a textbook, a highlighter in his hand, and his hair going every which way. When Grantaire got stressed out about being a sophomore in college, Enjolras knew the best thing was to leave him alone, but he just couldn't help himself today. He set down his stuff before walking to the couch. Enjolras leaned over to massage his shoulders.

Grantaire leaned into the touch. "That feels nice."

Enjolras started kissing his boyfriend's neck. "You need to relieve some of this stress, love."

"I can think of a way to do just that."

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "I'd gladly give you sex, but I was thinking more along the lines of a movie night. Something to get your mind off of homework."

"I'd go for a movie, but I don't see any point in denying me sex. We both know that we won't finish the movie because we'll end up making out, which will then lead to hot, passionate, mind-blowing sex." Grantaire turned his head to kiss his boyfriend.

Enjolras chuckled before returning the kiss.

***

They ended up ordering Chinese before picking out a random movie to watch. Their food was delivered and they enjoyed their meal. After putting the leftovers in the fridge, they cuddled on the couch. The movie was about a half hour in when their make-out session started like Grantaire predicted that it would.

Grantaire straddled Enjolras's lap as they kissed. He kissed, nibbled, and bit Enjolras' neck causing his boyfriend to let out a beautiful moan. Grantaire's fingers found Enjolras' shirt and pulled it over his head. Once the shirt was removed, Grantaire started kissing Enjolras' chest and playing with his nipples.

"Fuck." Enjolras moaned, closing his eyes.

Grantaire continued to kiss down Enjolras' chest, but stopped before he could remove his pants. He moved back up to his boyfriend's mouth. Enjolras' fingers had started playing with Grantaire's shirt before he pulled it over his head, saying that he was wearing too many clothes. They could feel how hard the other was as they rolled their hips into each other as they kissed.

"We need to move to the bedroom." Enjolras told his lover.

Grantaire nodded. He got up off of Enjolras' lap before turning off the TV, and leading Enjolras to their bedroom to continue their mission of having sex.

***

When they were both spent, Enjolras rolled off of Grantaire. He removed the used condom before cuddling with Grantaire. They could wash themselves of cum later. They laid on their bed exchanging lazy kisses and touches.

"How do you feel?" Enjolras asked.

"Stress relieved." Grantaire told him, placing a kiss on his boyfriend's neck.

Enjolras grinned. "Good because that's what I was going for." He glanced over at the clock. "We should probably get up. I have two tests to prepare, and you have a test to study for."

"Can we just cancel tomorrow and stay in bed?" Grantaire asked.

"I'm afraid not, love." Enjolras told him, crawling out from the under the covers. He grabbed his boxers and a pair of pajama pants. He threw his boyfriend's boxers at him. "I promise one of these days we will stay in bed all day."

"I'm holding you to that promise." Grantaire crawled out of the bed to get dressed.

Grantaire pulled Enjolras in for a kiss before they left the bedroom to go into the living room. They couldn't explain the happiness that they both felt. After believing that they would never get a chance to be together to being together for over two years still felt surreal, and neither of them would give it up for anything. Ever. They fought for their love and won, and they would continue fighting for it every single day for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, brownie points to anyone who can name where the title is from. Hint: it's a certain song in a certain musical.
> 
> Second of all, kudos and comments are welcome. In fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.
> 
> I also have a blog on Tumblr: ilovemybarricadebabies! So, come check it out!


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